Be My Last
by calmxbeforexthexstorm
Summary: The life of an artist is filled with endless creativity and inspiration, right? The tricky part is knowing where to draw these outlets from. Riku really just might have discovered a "muse", though it may come with more baggage than he first thought. RiSo
1. And everything went better than expected

…

**Be My Last**

**-REVISION-**

**Chapter 1**

…

* * *

-_Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye-_

* * *

…

There are some places in the world that just rain and rain and then rain some more. There are no such things as completely "clear" days; provided there are at least a few clouds scattered here and there and everywhere else. And everywhere really did mean _everywhere_.

Dublin, Ireland was one of these lucky places. (No matter how much Riku wished it wasn't.)

The silver haired teen glared out the kitchen window from his seat at the tiny table as the sudden patter of water against his window began, bringing with it a sense of disappointment.

"It really couldn't have waited a few more hours?" Riku slouched against the table, his head slamming down onto his arms as another deep sigh broke free. "Just my luck," he mumbled just before he finally pushed off of the tabletop to stand. Ever since moving to Dublin several years back, Riku felt that somehow his arrivals sparked some sort of dramatic climate transformation. But for all his complaining, it really didn't rain as often as he made it seem like. The countryside was beautiful after a storm, which really made him all that more happy about his moving abroad. (Still rained more than he cared for, though.)

This particular morning was quiet and damp conversely—and he had been contemplating on whether or not he should go for his morning walk. Normally, the weather was somewhat clear at the break of day and he could get some photography shots in. Although, the weather threw a big glaring wrench into that plan today it seemed. It's not that he minded the rain, it was just that the weather forecast had lied to him _again_. "_Bright and shiny day!_" his bright shiny ass.

"…Fuck it." He didn't feel like painting today anyway. Photography it was.

Riku ultimately decided that he didn't mind a little drizzle—the thousands of pelting raindrops against his window _really_ did classify as "drizzle"—and grabbed his light jacket and umbrella before he twisted the freezing metal door knob, his keys dangling from where he was clutching the keyring between his teeth. His camera was around his neck like always, so he was ready to go.

"Pictures aren't just going to hop right into this thing," he mumbled, feeling the large camera flop against his neck as he shrugged his jacket on and pocketed his keys.

"Christ, it's cold." Riku blinked his sea-green eyes rapidly as he struggled to open his umbrella, the drops of water obscuring his vision all the while. His hair did that enough, so all this water was starting to bother him—or what tiny percent reached him as he stood under the small roof of his apartment's entrance.

After some time, lazily strolling and mumbling to himself, Riku came to a stop just outside a small café and peeked into the window as subtly as he could. "Cozy" was the word to that popped into the teen's head as he looked the building over. The decorated sign with the words "Sweet Rhapsody" in scrawled letters struck the artsy part of him. He liked it; a quarter of the reason being that he could read the sign and posters without racking his brain with translations—unlike most of the other shops, which were understandably in Irish. It was strange, but not unwelcome. Riku had remembered this place being set up a while back, but at that time he hadn't really had the time and funds to stop by. This time it was different. (Well, not too much changed with his "funds," to his chagrin, but he still wanted to go.)

The moment Riku's stomach made a sickeningly loud noise, he confirmed that a little breakfast certainly wouldn't do more harm than good. A quick stop and then he could get his curiosity about the place over with and be on his way. There were no bystanders to look at him oddly as his gut continued to protest, so Riku stood outside and shook his head to rid his silver tresses of the water and closed his umbrella before slipping through the doors. Once inside, he had barely taken two steps forward when he bumped into a bustling employee, who until that point had been looking elsewhere as he carried a saucer with a cup of tea on it.

Riku would have cursed his luck if he had time, but the armful of brunet and chestful of hot tea—now spilled over the front of his poor, recently washed shirt.—distracted him. He danced around the broken dishware on the floor as he tried to steady the smaller male and try not to let the burns sink in. Which was understandable hard to do without stripping.

"Oh my God! I am so sorry!" The brunet rasped, quite visibly embarrassed, and Riku looked up, his eyes widening marginally. (And this time it wasn't due to pain.) The other male's large sky-coloured eyes blinked to rid his fringe, which clung in sections against his forehead, from his sight as he stared back at Riku. In all his years, Riku had never seen anyone with such an honest-looking face, yet there was something else about him that seemed different. The fact that he didn't know exactly what it was drove him insane. This guy was attractive, but Riku felt that it was due to more than just his appearance. (He spoke English, too, so that made this a bit easier.)

"I-I really am sorry. Let me help you!" The kid was obviously in a hurry over something, so Riku couldn't really find it in him to get angry. He was just in a bit of pain. A burning, potentially hospital-bound sort of pain, but it was all good.

Besides, there was something about the smaller male's expression made him want to laugh instead of yell. The pain was dulling anyway, so all was forgiven.

"Don't worry about it, really. I shouldn't have been staring off daydreaming like an idiot." Riku mumbled more to himself than the small brunet that was staring up at him still. Those clear eyes blinked again, and Riku actually did chuckle at the flustered way the boy moved about as he tried to inspect for damage—which was really only relatable to the broken porcelain on the floor at this point.

"Gah, oh crap. What am I doing? Here, let me get you a towel!" The brunet turned on his heels and stumbled away as fast as he could out of sight, almost taking down some other employees in his wake. Riku laughed before the burning sensations against his chest strengthened. Wincing, Riku pulled himself together enough to hear some of the patrons talking, though he had to translate their conversation in his head.

"_That kid's done it again, hasn't he?"_ Riku looked over his shoulder at the older male sitting with what he assumed to be his wife and daughter. The woman sighed and took a short sip out of her cup and shook her head.

"_If he could just calm down and stop trying to act so cheery over everything, he'd be a decent worker."_ A small bit of irritation flared up inside Riku, for whatever reason, and he tried not to glare as the daughter inattentively added, _"He's clumsy. Wonder why they hired him_," as she played with her phone. Riku didn't even have time to figure out why their accusations got the reaction from him that they did, because a jab to his chest turn his attention around. The brunet was back, and with him he brought a small handkerchief and a handful of paper towels.

"I really am sorry. This is all I could grab in such a hurry, but it should ring out all that hot tea." Riku opened his mouth to speak, but the brunet's hands were already at work, squeezing and dabbing at his shirt with the rag and a few damp towels. Riku read the nametag on the brunet's chest and worked the letters out in his head. Sora. Well, that was unique. (About as unique as his own name, he supposed.)

"Ah, 'scuse me for one second. I'll get some more wet towels." The boy, Sora, mumbled before quickly dashing off behind the register counter. Half a second later he was being pushed back out by an even shorter redhead. Her brows were furrowed, but she didn't look too angry. Deciding to ignore whatever spat the two were having, Riku turned his attention to the rag that Sora had placed in his hand and started cleaning himself up.

"I know, I know. I swear it was an accident!" Riku again lifted his gaze from his ruined shirt to the nervous voice, seeing the brunet walking towards him with the short female accompanying him. The redheaded girl sighed when her eyes rested on Riku's stained shirt and she gave him an apologetic look before turning back to her fellow employee.

"Not tea again… That's like, what? The fourth—"

"—Fifth," the lithe brunet interjected miserably with a sigh and he ignored the looks he was receiving from several curious customers as he dealt with the broken glass on the floor..

"All right… _Fifth_ customer you've burned this week. Selphie was right when she said you need a helmet! I don't know how we haven't been sued yet." The girl—Riku briefly scanned her nametag as well, learning that she was called, "Kairi"—had her hands on her hips as she reprimanded her colleague.

"I already told you! I was in a hurry because _someone_ can't handle all her tables." Sora quickly defended, although a toothy grin shortly followed his words. "Now don't you feel silly~?"

"No, because I'm not the one who ran into him~"

The two seemed to realize that their banter was going nowhere and turned towards Riku in sync. As they looked at him, he noticed that only the brunet boy's cheeks flushed red_. _The girl just looked at him warily. As interesting as their responses were, especially Sora's, he wasn't sure what they were thinking. He also wondered what they'd do if he actually did say he's 'sue' them. Remembering the reactions the brunet had given him so far, he almost gave in, but instead shook his head.

"It's _really_ okay. I was spacing out, so it's definitely my fault. We're all a little clumsy." Riku smiled, casting a glance over his shoulder to where he noticed the family from before was still watching, trying to be subtle. Once he looked at them however, they averted their attention elsewhere.

'_Cowards.'_

"Then it's fine. No one was hurt here, especially our valuable customer..." Kairi's sweet reply was followed by a generic-sounding giggle.

"It really wasn't your fault; don't be so modest." Sora grumbled through pursed his lips as he continued to keep his gaze on the ground. Riku eyed the younger male, watching his facial expressions change and reveal every possible emotion he was likely feeling. From sadness, to guilt, to embarrassment, and then to something akin to hope. He was like an open book—and Riku loved to read. "Uh, well… This is probably a long stretch, but I hope you'll stay for a cup of tea and some sweets—on the house. And um…y'know…sorry again." Riku watched Sora's features finally settle on a shy happiness as he handed him some more paper towels, this time dry. Riku smiled genuinely, surprised that he found himself wanting to take a picture of the expression on the younger male's face.

Sora coughed to break the brief silence and motioned for Riku to follow them to the counter.

"Tee-hee, Sora's going to pout all day because of this~" A short, frilly-haired brunet taunted from behind the front cash register. He hadn't noticed her before, but she wore a similar apron to Sora and Kairi, though she also had a hat on. Sora frowned at the teasing look in her eyes and stuttered.

"I-I am not. It's just this god-awful weather! It brings everyone down." Sora folded his arms and Riku almost laughed, had he not caught Kairi's expression. Her blue-violet eyes were analyzing their brunet friend, and Riku wondered what it was she was searching for. Sora caught the look and gave his friend a small, uneasy smile in return while the redhead rested her elbow over his shoulder.

"Hmm.. Well anyway, she's not too far off. .Since Sora nearly burned—" Kairi peered up at the silver-haired male expectantly and he blinked.

"Riku," he introduced himself and the three employees beamed up at him.

"Oh, lovely. Well, because Sora here is inept at walking, he's going to serve you whatever you like, and it's coming out of his pay. Feel free to go crazy." Kairi's tone was far too innocent as she ignored the choking sound her friend made.

"Wha? Wait a minute, that isn't even—" The brunet trailed off and bit his lip when his gaze slowly made its way to Riku's. At the expression, the silver-haired artist snorted and ran a hand through his hair. While he felt bad for the poor guy, he couldn't say he much liked getting hot liquids poured all over him. Maybe they could work out a little deal. Riku waves over Kairi's little offer, while Sora agrees to pose for a few photos… He liked the idea more and more as it ran through his head. He just wasn't sure what Sora would think of him if he suddenly started photographing him, so he held back the urge.

Sora didn't say anything as he kept their eye contact, while Kairi observed the exchange with a growing smile before she flung an arm over her brunet friend's shoulder. "Well, Mr. Can't-Go-a-Day-Without-Walking-Into-Walls-or-Something-Equally-Stationary, because _you_ ran into him and drenched him in piping hot tea, you can settle this little exchange yourself. The rest of us have work." Kairi winked and ruffled Sora's hair as she swiveled around the long counter and disappeared through a door behind them.

"Heyyyy! You take responsibility, _Sora_. You got him all wet," the brunette from behind the counter grinned widely, her cheery voice dripping with an innuendo that Riku quickly caught. Sora seemed to catch it as well, as he fumbled around with his words and much to his dismay, felt his cheeks light up again. Though they weren't as bright as before, Riku found himself enjoying the expression all the same.

_"Selphie!"_

"Well, my day just got interesting." Riku laughed as he continued to watch Sora cough and try as hard as he could to not join in.

"Selphie, please stop creeping on the customers—for one day! He's clearly scarred." The brunet tried to grin and Riku raised a delicate eyebrow shortly before a chuckle slipped past his lips. This Sora character was interesting to say the least. It seemed that he liked to smile a lot, but under these circumstances, he was trying more to keep from embarrassing himself and getting himself in more trouble.

"Me? Oh Sora,I believe it is _you_ that isgoing to scare away our sexy friend, especially if you keep yelling like that." Selphie's look was one of mock-disappointment as she leaned over the cash register.

"I am not!" Sora ran a hand through his unruly spikes, but chuckled—an action that the silver haired teen labeled as 'undeniably cute.'

It didn't take the silver haired teen long before he had began watching the amusing little exchange between the two—and occasional third intervention from Kairi as she zipped by—with fascination. If only he had brought his sketchbook; they would've made a nice contribution to it. But he settled for a quick snapshot to save and use as material later. Riku blinked innocently as Sora turned towards him and pressed his lips together, trying not to smile, but ultimately failing. Did he like the attention? Whether he did or not, Riku decided he liked giving it either way. Inside his head, Riku silently promised that he would definitely come back here from time to time.

Aside from the drinks and food stuffs, he could get some ideas flowing through his brain by chatting with the three, since they seemed more than happy to fill him with inspiration when they weren't busy. They were unique all right…

Sora didn't even make an effort to act overly polite around Riku anymore, but his unadulterated smiles and upbeat attitude were a welcome change. He found himself studying the brunet more over the other two. Though they were just as fun, there was something about Sora that drew him in.

"You could have at least thrown in another pastry. You're so cheap!" Kairi teased, Riku catching the end of it since he'd been too busy watching their actions and facial expressions. They sure looked like they were having fun even while they were arguing and teasing each other. He held back the urge to pry on their relationship and shifted in his seat at the table. He'd never had anyone get quite as close to him as those two seemed.

"Do you have to tease me about every little thing? I'm trying to satisfy him, not make him fat!" Sora futilely tried to hold back a laugh, but it loudly escaped his throat as he flicked Kairi in the nose. She made a noise, but didn't let him get away before her arms were around his neck in a headlock. Some of the other employees stopped to watch the scene with amusement., as they were probably used to it. Riku watched the two goof off.

"Oh? Trying to _satisfy_ him now, are you?" Kairi ground out from underneath Sora's arm and he dropped her in favor of stumbling over his words again. It didn't take him long to stutter something offhand and go attend to another patron, and things got calm again.

The atmosphere was so relaxed here that he'd gladly make a habit of visiting.

"Hey. Now that I have a bit of time, I'd kind of like to start over... I'm Sora. Family name: Harada." The brunet dusted his hands off on his apron before he walked closer to the daydreaming teen. When the slender male extended his hand with a beautiful smile, Riku released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Sora had come out of nowhere, so he was a bit caught off guard.

"Yeah… I'm Riku. Of the Masaki clan." Said teen replied with his best smile and took the offered hand as Sora did a weird little giggle-snort. As their hands met, Riku was amused as he noted that they fit together snugly, and he held the warmer hand in his a bit longer than he had actually anticipated.

"It's nice to meet you. Without any spilling of tea this time." Sora grinned and Riku gave him an amused look as Kairi moved to stand beside him, her lips quirking upwards as well.

"You're going to have to be a regular now, you know. Now that Sora's got your name and is indebted to you for just about ever." The redheaded girl smiled and patted the teen on the shoulder.

"Hmm... I might be able to do that," Riku added with a small smirk. He was being uncharacteristically extroverted, but he had a feeling that it was only because Sora kept sneaking glances at him. Sora did seem to open up more when Riku made an effort to be sociable. His smirk grew just a tiny bit when he felt Sora's gaze stay on him again.

"Oh, man! He is _so_ sexy, you guys." Riku rubbed the back of his head from hearing Selphie's straightforward comment butt in, but he played along.

"Heh, about time you noticed." Riku mustered up the sexiest smile he could, making Sora's face heat up a bit, and a silky laugh blew past his lips. "I kid. But really, you girls are too flattering. It'll get you nowhere, you know." Sora laughed at this, and rolled his eyes as he looked at his friends. His smile was fond, however, and Riku's chest ached just a bit at the expression. He didn't know whether or not to be scared that he suddenly wished he was on the other end of that look.

"Oh, catch me, Kairi! I'm going to swoon~" Selphie stuck to her words and fell into her redhead friend's arms, ignoring the way she rolled her violet orbs and just pushed her back into a standing position. Riku didn't know how he'd managed to go so long without checking this place out, but now he was regretting not doing so sooner. With a glance at the clock and a sigh, Riku fished into his pocket for his wallet and popped a handful of messy bills on the counter. When Sora looked at him confused, he smiled.

"You accept tips, don't you?" Riku asked, knowing that Sora would have denied him if he tried to pay for his food. The brunet looked shocked for a moment, and he looked at his other friends before they shrugged, smiling. Sora bit his lip, but ultimately shook his head.

"No, I couldn't. I can't accept such a kind offer when I practically gave you third-degree burns, Riku." A tiny chill went up the silver-haired teen's spine as his name fell from Sora's lips. The brunet's honesty almost killed him, but Riku manned up and grabbed Sora's hand, stuffing the money into it. Sora gasped, but didn't draw his hand away.

"Seriously, you made up for it. I had a great time." Riku smiled again, but this time pulled back and headed for the door, picking up the umbrella he'd set near the coat rack earlier. Sora followed him and grabbed his arm before he could get out the front door.

"I… Thank you. Really." Sora smiled again, a touched emotion reaching his eyes. That was the best feeling in the world for Riku—knowing he'd made this earnest, silly little brunet happy. He looked down at the hand still against his arm and a soft smile crossed his lips before he was even aware of it. Riku nodded at Sora, ruffling his hair before he nudged open the door with his foot and tore his gaze from his new friend. The bleak rain was such a contrast compared to the atmosphere behind him, but he knew the sooner he got home, the better; his head was full of new ideas that he was anxious to throw all over his sketchpad.

"I'll see you later, okay?" Riku winked at Sora before opening his umbrella and walking out into the rain. The sound of Sora's low, uncertain voice halted him in his tracks, though.

"You'll… You'll come back again, right?"

The expression on Sora's face was hopeful, if not a little guarded, but Riku found himself nodding before he even formulated a response. At Sora's bright grin, Riku chuckled.

"Yeah. I will. The tea was good—what went into my mouth, and not on my shirt," Sora blushed at this, "And it was nice talking to you."

"Likewise!" He heard Sora call as he walked backwards.

Although it was a bit difficult, Riku waved Sora goodbye and caught sight of Kairi and Selphie waving from the far window. He smiled and nodded, turning to continue on with his walk. His usual trek through St. Stephen's Green park took a little longer than usual, due to a sudden burst of inspiration. He was sure that he was going to need another card to store pictures, since the one currently inside his camera was filling up too quickly for his liking.

Just thinking about how much his day had changed astounded him. To think he could be feeling so great when he started out so miserable this morning... It was a completely random that the brunet and his friends stumbled - quite literally - into his life. It was just the thing to bring him out of his momentary block—which honestly lasted the shortest it ever has. Feeling satisfied, Riku tightened his grip on his beat-up umbrella and headed home.

"For once I'm glad it rained…" The silver haired teen blew some of his hair out of his eyes as he stuffed his hand into his pocket to grab his key-ring, pulling them out once he stopped at his door, and slinked into his flat. Once inside, he tossed his keys onto the couch and treaded to his bedroom, grabbing his notepad along the way before falling lazily onto his small mattress. He kicked off his shoes and scribbled down as many ideas as he could until a yawn drifted past his lips. It was barely seven-thirty and yet he was already this tired. Riku yawned again and rested his head down, and when he closed his eyes he immediately thought about the brunet. He picked his head back up, surprised, but then decided to let it go.

'_It's normal to think about friends you've just made…isn't it? Friends like him…' _

Riku didn't know what to think anymore, since he was sure it was just his own mind messing with him out of fatigue. He rolled onto his back and sighed, feeling his bangs and hair frame and fall around his face. Today was something different—something entirely new, and while he was somewhat wary of change, he welcomed this quite readily. He'd found a new outlet, today.

Yes, it had been a _great_ day.

But he felt that tomorrow would be even better.

* * *

…_-_+-+-_…_

'_I hate this song,'_ was Riku's lone vital thought after waking up.

With a groan and what little energy he could gather, Riku rolled over and hit at his alarm clock on the nightstand next to him. Stupid clock—which he always forcibly reminded himself was actually an essential thing to have. Otherwise he'd never get out of bed. As fantastic as that sounded, it would come back to bite him in the ass when he realized he had a lot of work and no time to do it.

With that _fun_ thought in his head now, Riku kicked the bed sheets away and sat up, squinting to see the numbers on the alarm—a flood of memories from the previous day coming back to him as he did so. He wasn't sure why blue eyes and a blinding smile were the first things he could bring up, but he decided that it was too early for thinking. Riku stretched, making an odd noise before he stood and shuffled his way to the bathroom to get ready. It was only after brushing his teeth that he stopped in the doorway when the time he'd seen on the alarm had finally hit him.

"Shit."

When he looked at the clock again and realized he was late, the silver-haired male flew around his room, pulling clothes from his small closet and dressers in some attempt to put together a decent outfit. He ended with a checkered button-down over a tank top and jeans. Honestly not caring, he didn't even bother with his hair and raced to the front door and locked it as he went out. The sprint to his car was brief, but he was already out of breath by the time he got inside.

The drive to his campus wasn't a long one either, having to go through the city portion of Grafton before getting a bit into the outer city. It wasn't very far away, and he could almost see the building from where he lived. Almost, if he ever decided to climb the hill behind the apartment complex. All in all, he was happy with his choice of university. While he'd never been too fond of taking classes with no relation to his area of expertise, they were necessary for his job and for later classes he needed, so he grinned and tried to bear it. But it was still a pain in the arse, even after two years of campus life.

Two long years of solitude and loneliness.

Riku sighed, pushing away that feeling of being pathetic he got every once in a while and hurried into the parking lot. His legs carried him all the way up the stairs and into his first period building and he groaned, realizing he didn't bring any of his supplies with him.

"I don't even give a shit right now," he mumbled, tired, as he pushed open the front doors and fast-walked down the corridor, politely acknowledging any staff he knew or that took notice of him. He barely even had time to finish his "hellos" before he rounded the bend and collided with a smaller body. A head crashed into his chest and he stumbled backwards, while the other person tripped and fell with a loud squawk.

Riku's eyes widened when he looked down to find a familiar, spiky head of brown hair. Sure enough, equally familiar blue eyes were locked onto his own pair when the boy glanced up.

"Sora?" Riku asked relatively at the same time as Sora called, "Riku?"

The two looked at each other for a few moments, shocked at their new revelation. Riku was the first to recover, as he hunched over and offered Sora a hand.

"It's good to see you. Surprised the hell out of me, but I'm glad. I wish we could have a normal meeting instead of me always running you over, though." Riku chuckled as Sora hastily grabbed his hand and he helped him to his feet.

"I-I just…. Thanks." Sora gave a shy smile and scratched the back of his head. In an instant his shyness was gone and in its place was a cheerfulness Riku was growing fond of. Sora finally shook his head and fixed the strap over his shoulder that held up his messenger bag.

"Nah, that was my fault again." Sora laughed and looked up at Riku with those big, clear eyes. "I didn't know you were enrolled here, too. What a small world." Sora spoke after a few moments passed and his cheeks had taken a small twinge of pink to them. Riku chuckled and swiftly scratched the side of his neck.

"I'm telling you I practically ran over you. But anyway, yeah. I've been here for just about two years. Place grows on you." Riku gave a small smile, shoving his hands into his pockets. Sora nodded, smiling and nodding.

"I know what you mean. This is my first year, but I know a few of the staff and students."

"Really? Huh, you look young. If I'd have to guess, I'd think you were a high-schooler," Riku grinned as Sora scowled at this, "You do seem to know a lot more about this place than a lot of the new kids, though." Riku grinned, peering down at the brunet with a charming smile lighting his face.

"Me? Well, I'll be twenty in a few months. What about you, Riku?" Sora asked. His friendly attitude made Riku smile and shrug his shoulders slightly.

"I'm twenty. Be twenty-one in May. I moved to Dublin a while ago, figured I'd get used to the place before getting my degree." The brunet's eyes sparkled as he listened to his friend talk, clearly pleased on getting to know more and more.

"That's amazing. But you moved by yourself?" At this, Riku shook his head and a small, wistful laugh drifted through his parted lips. Sora watched in fascination as Riku motioned for them to walk.

"I was only seventeen when we moved. I came with my mother, and she helped get me started. Not to sound arrogant or anything, but my family's got the cash to just spontaneously move around. But me, I'd rather earn my own than have it all just handed to me." Sora looked only mildly surprised at Riku's words. Riku simply cleared his throat and shrugged. "You think I'm stupid, too huh? I know it's a lot of money and all that, but…. I feel cheap—if that makes sense."

"It makes perfect sense! You're not cheap at all! I think that's incredible," Sora said, a bit too loud, and he coughed to hide his embarrassment. Riku didn't mind so much that Sora had shouted, since his words struck a chord inside Riku. Normally people envied him and told him he was being too humble and independent. But that suited him just fine, since he hated relying on others for things like that.

"Thank you…" Riku said no more, but Sora figured he didn't have to, because the expression of gratitude on his face said enough. They walked down the halls and up several stairs until the prolonged silence finally got to Sora, and he shifted so that he could get a better look at his spaced out friend.

"So, uh. Riku, aren't you going to be late?" Riku was too caught up in the brunet's expression, and those damn _eyes_, to actually hear what he had asked.

"Hn?"

Sora didn't respond for a moment, and Riku tilted his head a bit as he tried to figure out what his friend was thinking. The brunet shook himself out of his reverie and tapped Riku on the shoulder noticing he too had spaced out.

"...Riku? Ri~ku?"

"What?" Riku blinked to clear his mind and ran a hand through his long, silver tresses as he gave Sora an apologetic smile. "Sorry, man. Did you ask me something?" He grinned awkwardly, and Sora chuckled in return for a moment before he elbowed Riku lightly. Riku made a noise, but couldn't repress the jolt of happiness from having Sora act so openly friendly with him.

"You. Classes. Late? I asked you if you were going to make it on time. What classes do you have today?"

"Oh, shit!" Riku grimaced and checked the hallway for a clock; usually there was always one around when he needed it, but this time the bare, beige walls harbored no time-telling devices, so he swore again. His luck was never present when he needed it.

"Sorry, Sora. I have…_Painting_ right now," he explained. Sora blinked and a large smile took over his face.

"Oh, you're an art student? I was able to get a few creative writing classes, but I'm mainly here for the general business education. Mixing it up, you know?" The brunet's grin was wide, but the cheerless look in his sky irises told Riku the brunet was hiding something. He decided against asking at the moment, because he figures Sora wouldn't tell him anyway and he'd get that fake "I'm fine" crap instead.

"Well, you better hurry. Class starts in about…five seconds." Sora's eyebrows rose challengingly to which Riku returned with an amused stare. "I'd run if I were you, dude." Riku stared at him a few moments before saying a short, slightly panicked goodbye and apology for making them both late, and sped off down the hall. The brunet laughed as he followed the teen with his eyes.

"_He must work out a lot,'_

Sora laughed to himself and began to whistle, thinking about the silver haired male.

Were they already good friends?

If they weren't, Sora'd be damned if he didn't change that.

…

…

After a very _long _andintense art class, Riku made his way to his next and final subject.

"Art History, here I come." He sighed, not content with the idea of sitting through that class since it'd been postponed up until the current day. But, it was the last one before freedom! Sweet, sweet freedom. That little detail alone was enough to make him happy.

It only took him a moment to find the room, but once he trudged into it, idly picking various paint chips from his nails and hands, he spotted a familiar brunet and redhead chatting rather animatedly in their seats along the wall.

"Yo, Sora!" Riku called to the other teen with a friendly wave once he got closer.

"Hey, it's Riku!" That squeal of utter delight was the only thing that made it to Riku's ears before a familiar girl latched onto his waist.

"Ah?"

"Better get used to that, Riku. Though I'm sure it's an everyday thing for you, so you'll be fine." Sora's eyes were glowing, while an impish smile was plastered over his face. Riku looked at him helplessly as he tried to keep his balance, but as Kairi came over and hugged him as well, he knew there was no help he was getting form Sora. The traitor!

"Hey Kairi… Hey Selphie," The teen awkwardly patted the girls' heads as they nuzzled into him. He wasn't sure what the hell Sora was talking about, but this was a level of slightly creepy that he was sure he didn't want to get used to.

"Hey, Selphie that tickles! Whoa, not_ there_!" The two females smirked at their discovery of Riku's ticklish spots and laughed at him and his misery, failing to notice their professor walk in. Riku threw several looks that screamed 'help' at Sora, but the little shit only grinned and nodded towards the front of the room.

"Excuse me. But if you're quite _finished, _I'd like to start the lecture." The strict looking man with dark—upon closer inspection, it had a blue/purple-ish tint—hair that covered the right half of his face, eyed the three and walked to the front of the room. The male—seemingly far too young to be a teacher—cleared his throat and spoke again. "If we're all acting our appropriate age now, I'll start the lesson... I am Professor Zexion; I am in charge of the Literature and Art History that, up until now, was put on hiatus. I apologize for that, but everything is back to normal now. Just come to class on time and do your work properly and we'll get along fine." He sounded as bored as he looked. Riku shrugged as the man then turned around to write something on the board.

Riku walked over and took a seat behind Sora. He watched the brunet and his red-haired friend laugh at something before he turned around to smile at Riku.

"Hey."

"Hey. Are you and Kairi dating?" At the unexpected question, Sora tilted his head to the side and blinked. Riku almost wanted to hit himself for asking, but he hadn't even realized how much it was bothering him until it just slipped out. Sora shrugged, and to Riku's relieve, didn't look offended.

"Kairi? No, she's my best friend. It would be a little awkward if we were more than that. She's more of a sister; we've known each other so long." After a timid little laugh, Sora shrugged and continued to stare at Riku, who felt oddly relieved.

"Oh. I see." Riku scratched his arm and bit his lip; it was probably strange to ask such a question so suddenly, but it just forced itself from his mouth. He couldn't say why Sora's answer made him feel the way he did, but he had a pretty good idea.

"Why? You interested?" Sora's smile weakened a bit as Riku stared and simply replied, "No… Well, not to the point of dating, no. She nice and all but—"

"I know what you mean," Sora held his head up with his hands and sighed. "It's probably just weird because we've become friends so fast, right? Normally I wouldn't talk about these things or feel so carefree around anyone." The brunet's relieved laugh also eased some of the tension within the silver haired teen and he nodded.

"So…" Sora hesitantly whispered and Riku laughed. "So, Ri-ku, could you tell me a little more about yourself? That you didn't yesterday and this morning." The brunet requested with a little smile still lighting his features.

"Well. I'm really not that interesting. The only thing that makes me sound remotely attention-grabbing is that I can draw and paint and play a bit of guitar. You know, generic artsy stuff."

"Really? Do you have some of your work here? I love artwork, even though I'm not really any good. Oh God, I have this one story of a time when my friend Tidus and I…there was an _intense_ paint fight—" As Sora rambled on, Riku simply watched him—the smile widening on Riku's face as the brunet continued his story.

'_I wonder if he's as soft as he looks.'_

The silver haired teen's thoughts unintentionally strayed until the brunet chuckled and rested his head back on his folded arms, giving Riku a chance to admire those lips that occasionally quirked up as he remembered a fond moment of his story. "—aaaand that's why I can't take art classes with Tidus anymore. He always flinches and runs away screaming if I'm holding something that even remotely _looks_ like a paintbrush. It's great." The brunet laughed at his memories and Riku felt himself mimicking the expression with a low chuckle.

"Crazy story. Remind me to keep you away from my flat at all costs." Riku smirked as Sora puffed his cheeks out, "So, you said you wanted to see some art?" At the brunet's cheerful nod, Riku shrugged and answered his previous question. "I have a few things here, but I keep most of my paintings and stuff at home."

"Oh? Would you care to show them to me?" Sora exclaimed a little louder than he should have, and he winced when Zexion turned around while raising an eyebrow.

"Excuse me… Is there something you want to share with us, Sora?" His expression was just as equally blasé as he'd been earlier. Riku's curiosity bubbled up again at Zexion's use of Sora's first name, but he decided to cast it aside.

"No, it's nothing... Sorry to have disturbed you." Kairi and Selphie chuckled at the obvious embarrassment written on Sora's face, and a few of the other students snickered to themselves.

Behind him, the brunet heard Riku stifle a faint chuckle and he turned around, the redness still evident on his face.

"Riku, man, don't _laugh_!" He begged and his eyes watered, making his friend suck in a startled breath as he viewed the expression.

"Ah, I… Sorry, Sora." He apologized with a brief, charming grin that forced Sora to turn around before he got any redder. The gasp that Riku let out resulting from the pout-y face didn't go unnoticed by Kairi and Selphie. The two females harbored twin smiles, knowing full well what the other was thinking.

"_Perfect," _If the silent telekinesis was anything to go by, both of the women came to the same agreement that they knew was bound to happen eventually.

But they're smiles grew even further when Sora turned back around a moment later to flick Riku in the forehead, saying "Ha-ha~ Got you with my puppy look, didn't I?"

Half the fun was getting there.

…

…

Having a class with the brunet proved to be just as entertaining as Riku thought it would be. And rather convenient, too—this sudden realization struck the silver haired teen as he walked out of the room.

"Hey! Hey, Riku!"

Said teen turned slightly to see Sora fast-walking his way, a large grin on his face. Riku was starting to think it was permanent.

"Hiya," Sora skidded to a halt right in front of his friend, taking a moment to catch his breath, and Riku watched as he shifted his bag before looking up. "Hey, you're on your break now, right?" To the brunet's delight, Riku nodded—while fixing the collar on his black, opened button-down shirt; making the yellow tank-top he had on underneath visible.

"Yep. A monstrous twenty-one hours." He answered and watched the brunet chuckle before muttering something to himself. With a shimmer in his clear blue eyes, Sora grabbed his friend's rolled-up sleeve.

"You're all done? Great, then would you like to go for a little walk with me?" Riku looked down at Sora in surprise, but he shook it of quickly and nodded. Sora seemed quick to make friends, so he shouldn't have gotten such a shock from his invite. The hand on his arm slowly slid off and he realized that Sora must have thought he was searching for a way to decline the offer.

"Oh? Sure, as long as you don't mind if I stop home for a minute. My flat isn't too far away." Riku peered down at the slender brunet at his side and watched him nod, his wild spikes bouncing with the motion. That was another thing about him that Riku found intriguing. His gravity resistant hair stood up at the oddest angles, but it _worked _without looking too fake or gelled over.

"Yeah, no problem." Sora folded his hands behind his back and smiled widely as the wind danced across his face. He nodded over his shoulder so that Riku could see that he wanted to go through the exit. Once outside, Sora beamed up at him. "I'm glad that we have classes together. I've been stuck with Kairi and Selphie so long I was afraid I'd never have any guy friends." Riku laughed as his new friend spun around, almost falling from the short, wide fence that he'd hopped on a moment ago. He quickly recovered, yet didn't notice the way Riku's eyes softened when he continued to watch the brunet balance his way forward.

"That's what I'm here for." Sora laughed at this, and a long comfortable silence fell over them as they walked.

"Hey, where do you live?" Riku asked suddenly, aware that they were getting close to his flat. He'd already told the guy a lot of his own personal stories, so he figured he should get to know his friend, too. When Sora abruptly stopped his movements and simply stood on the railing, it occurred to Riku that maybe he shouldn't have asked.

"I, uh…I..."

Definitely shouldn't have asked. The silver haired teen noticed Sora's expression change from sadness, to pain, to blankness, and then to a forced happiness—all in what he guessed was three seconds. It blew his mind how Sora could be so open with his facial features.

'_Weird, how he hesitated.' _Riku watched with a frown as Sora stared at the sky with a wistfulness that made Sora look far more tired than Riku'd ever seen him look.

"Well... It's not too far from where Kairi lives. Sorry, I'm bad at explaining things like this. It's in the farther north-western part of Dublin. Not quite to the point of Grafton Street, though."

"Oh, really?" Riku kept his gaze on the brunet's face, but now there wasn't anything other than cheerfulness—on the surface.

"Yep." One of Riku's eyebrows rose as he watched his friend jump down after he had run out of incline to walk on. He'd decided against asking Sora anything personal, so he just remained silent until Sora glanced back at him.

"Need something?"

"Nah, just… How much farther is it until we reach your house?" Riku gazed into the teen's cerulean orbs that were very, _very_, hard to turn away from and he smiled.

"Ah, well—we're here," he muttered as they stopped before the rows of flats.

"Mine's this way." Riku dug into his pockets to get his keys and they walked through the foyer to get the first set of entrances. Riku opened the door once he was in front of his own, thanking the heavens that he lived on the first floor. (He hated stairs almost as much as he hated elevators.) "

Do you want to come in?" Riku glanced back to find a hesitant-looking brunet poking his forefingers together as he stood outside the door. "Is something wrong?" He asked with an equal amount uncertainty that managed to slip into his voice.

The brunet looked as if he was momentarily fascinated and he didn't respond to the silver haired teen's calls. "Are you all right?" Riku leaned towards Sora, his concerned features easing when the brunet opened his mouth to speak.

"You really live here all by yourself, Riku? Nice."

Riku hummed in confirmation and observed the brunet while he walked forward. Sora was surprised? His flat was just the basic three-room apartment: with his living room, small kitchen and his bedroom-which opened to a little bathroom (so, technically a four-room.) It wasn't even decorated much. The majority of his stuff was blue, green, and gray; much of his knick-knacks were fairly basic while they still held a special place in his heart. Also, his paintings occupied a great amount of the free space and Riku thought they gave the room the colour it lacked.

"Shit…. Sorry it's so messy. I've got stuff all over the place." The silver haired teen murmured as he nervously scratched the back of his neck with an expression Sora kept his eyes on as long as he could.

"No, it's fine… Hey, these are your paintings, right?" Sora's face lit up as Riku nodded and he wandered around the flat and scrutinized the paintings, completely captivated with them.

"Yeah... But they're not all anything special. Just a lot of messy sketches and watercolour," he declared with a chuckle, and Sora gave him a reproachful look.

"Not anything special? Riku, these are frickin' amazing! If I could draw like this…" The brunet softly sighed as he slowly caressed his fingers along one of the easels.

"You think so?" The look Sora gave him once he was able to pry his eyes from the canvas made Riku flush slightly.

"…Do you think you could paint one for me? I-I mean, if—if it's not too much trouble! I just have a big soft spot for art, you see. It doesn't even have to be painted." He moved towards the silver-haired teen as he spoke, "I just can't believe you don't think these are "special"." A laugh blew past the silver haired teen's lips as he stared at the childlike look on his friend's face.

"Huh? What's so funny?" The clueless way Sora spoke only made the silver-haired male laugh harder.

"Hey, what's up with you? Now you're starting to freak me out!" Riku inhaled and ruffled the brunet's hair, pulling back to smile down at him. Sora didn't say anything for a moment, and then looked down at his socks, flushing as he kept his eyes downcast.

"You know… You have a really nice laugh and smile, Riku. You're easy to get along with." Sora commented, coughing and scratching the back of his neck. Riku didn't know where this sudden burst of praise had come from, but he liked it.

"What's this? Falling for me already? Didn't I tell Kairi and Selphie that flattery gets you nowhere?" Riku teased, earning a shy smile from Sora and he unthinkingly brushed a lock of hair from the teen's eyes so he could see them better. "But... I think your smile puts the rest to shame. I like it." Riku cursed his sudden nervousness and glanced away from the brunet, missing Sora's face begin to resemble a cherry.

"U-Uh, thanks. I…" The brunet stammered and felt his cheeks burn—he strengthened his resolve, however, and met Riku's gaze so that he could try to tell what the taller male was thinking. Riku was somewhat hard to read, but Sora was starting to notice that his eyes gave away everything he was feeling.

"What's with this shyness? We're friends aren't we?" Riku broke the silence, and pinched at Sora's cheeks until the brunet batted his hand away. Riku chuckled and instead dropped his hand down to poke his friend in the stomach. Sora made a noise and backed up slightly, cursing inwardly when something flashed in Riku's eyes. Neither said a word, but Riku poked him again, testing.

"Ah! Stop that!"

"Why? Are you…ticklish, _Sora_?" The brunet swallowed loudly at the mischievous look in his friend's sea-green eyes and he slowly began to rise from the sofa.

"Uh, no. Not...particularly." Sora bit his lip, knowing that no matter what he said, Riku could probably pin him down and slowly torture him.

"Riku!" Sora laughed when the silver haired teen tackled him off of the sofa and onto the floor, pinning him down and tickling him. Well, he was right about the pinning, but he kicked his legs as hard as he could, but Riku didn't budge.

"Ah! Ha—stop—wa—wait a minute!" Riku joined in on the brunet's contagious laughter as his fingers danced over Sora's stomach, torturing him. Riku grinned, sitting back with a triumphant look on his face as Sora's chest heaved and he struggled to calm his laughter down.

"All right, all right, I'll get off. As fun as it is to act like little kids, I'm probably squeezing the life out of you." Both teens continued to laugh even after Riku climbed off of his friend, who had been lying on his back, holding his abdomen.

"Yeah… fat ass. M-My stomach," The brunet inhaled deeply and laughed when Riku flicked him against his forehead. The older male tore himself away, but didn't move very far and just reclined against the foot of his sofa. Sora didn't move at all, seemingly content to lay spread out on the carpeted floor.

"I haven't laughed like that in a long time, Riku." The brunet commented as he wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes, and Riku leaned over and threatened to tickle him once more, but gently poked him instead.

"Me neither… And you sure are sensitive, aren't you?" Riku grinned at the pout making its way across the Sora's face and he stretched his legs out. "Oh yeah, don't you have to work at that café today?" At his friend's question, Sora rolled onto his stomach and held his chin up with both hands.

"Hn? Oh, that. Nope, I usually head in to work early or when I get called in after I'm done with my classes—Oh, and sometimes I work a couple hours on the weekdays. Though, Kairi and Selph work there every day when they get the chance." Sora explained and looked over into his friend's unique irises.

"Say, Riku…" The teen rolled onto his back once more and closed his eyes. With a small grunt, Riku copied this movement and waited for him to continue. "What do you want to do now? I wanted to go to Phoenix Park, but I think that would take a while on foot…" Riku glanced at the clock. It was a little past four... Not really that late.

"Well… I could drive us, but it'd still be kind of late. So maybe you could hang out here? Why don't we watch a movie or something? We can just hang, if you're free I mean." Riku shuffled to his knees and crawled over to his television, and glanced back to his friend for his reply.

"That sounds great," Sora smiled, trying not to sound too excited, and hoisted himself back up to the sofa. Riku looked back and him and laughed, seeing him all spread out and taking up three-fourths of the cushions. "I guess I can stay for a while."

Riku nodded, pleased, but turned around and tossed a dvd into the player and scooted back to his previous position in front of the sofa—and Sora as well. A little after forty minutes into a movie named, _'Wrong_ _Turn',_ Sora began to get fidgety, sinking onto the floor next to Riku as subtly as he could.

"Hey. You…okay?" Riku asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow when Sora nodded and didn't break eye contact with the television for a second. Riku inwardly chuckled at the alarmed expression on the brunet's face and he reached a hand out to ruffle the younger male's hair.

"Ah, y-yeah. I can handle these kind of movies, no…problem." A little blush made its way across the brunet's cheeks and nose after his confession. Everything about his mannerisms conflicted with what he'd just said—from the flinching, to the fidgeting hangs, to the lip biting…

"So in other words…you're terrified?" Riku teased and earned a glare—or what he thought was could pass of as one. Sora wasn't too good at looking tough when he was scared.

"No! Well, maybe a little bit. But just a tiny bit, you got that?" He answered, his laugh coming out uneasy and broken. "Who wouldn't—?"

Sora twitched as a flash of lightning accompanied by loud thunder came from outside. Riku noticed the way his friend's body stiffened when another faint noise echoed through the room. He glanced over Sora's shoulder at the window to see the angry rain pelt at the glass. Furrowing his brows, Riku groaned.

"Jeez, again? I thought it would at least hold off…" He paused when Sora's hands that were resting on his lap were being rung together as he tried to focus back on the television. "Not a thunderstorm person, huh? We didn't even get a warning today. It sure picked up fast." The silver haired teen glanced out the window again, hearing the gentle roll of thunder spin into an ominous boom.

Sora made an effort to hide his wide eyes with his bangs and tried to steady his voice as he spoke, "It...It had to have started while we were watching—" Another loud roar of thunder interrupted the brunet and after a few more, everything went black. The sudden darkness caused a panicked Sora to gasp and move to get up, bumping his knee on the coffee table painfully before stumbling back down onto Riku's lap.

"Ouch, shit!" The brunet rubbed his abused leg and stiffened when a flash lit up the room. He really wasn't good with these kinds of things.

"_Ah__**!"**_

Another rumble of thunder startled the brunet, and Riku cursed the sudden change the weather took without so much as a warning. He wished it would just die down so that lights could power back on. Riku could feel Sora's hands clutched onto his shirt tightly. Not knowing what to do or how to react, Riku's arms wound around Sora's waist and he held him awkwardly. He only hoped that Sora could see that he was trying to be reassuring and not creepy. But as he felt Sora relax slightly, his own tenseness died down and he held his friend just a little bit tighter.

"I…I'm sorry." Sora's voice was quiet, trembling, but he didn't seem as shaken as he'd been a moment ago.

Thanking the heavens that Sora couldn't see the stupid blush on his face, Riku brought a hand up to comfortingly massage the brunet's back.

"Sora? It's all right… You're allowed to be afraid of some things." The brunet clung to his friend and shook his head. Riku sighed and held Sora tighter. "Hey... It's okay. I'm here." Riku felt the trembling start again, and if the lights were on he would've seen Sora's pained visage caused by the sudden flashbacks the storm brought to him. The brunet buried his face in Riku's chest and started to sob quietly, hoping his friend wouldn't notice. Riku did, however, feel the drops of water seep through the fabric of his shirt. Frowning, he pulled back slightly and tried to make out his friend's expression

"Sora?" Riku called the brunet, worried. His only answer with a faint, muffled noise against his shirt after Sora pulled him closer again. Riku gently urged his friend to speak, but this time he was met with silence. "You can tell me, Sora. Is something hurting?"

'_If only you knew, Riku...' _

"I'm s-sorry… I can't stay here." Sora whispered, sounding so overwhelmed and broken.

"What did you say?" Riku asked questioningly. He wished he could see his friends face to maybe get a clue on how he felt or at least _something_.

"I've been here for a long time and I'm probably weirding you out now, so—" The brunet's body shook and started to pull away until Riku pulled him back down into his arms, holding him tightly.

"What kind of excuse is that? I'm not sending you out there when it's this bad out; just look how dark the sky is! No sane person would even _think_ of going out there. I don't mind if you stay with me, really. Given your reaction, I'd have to be a cold-hearted ass to let you leave now." With a small, hopefully reassuring smile, Riku tilted back against the sofa and held the brunet against him until Sora calmed down.

'_It's actually kind of nice,' _the thought simultaneously ran through both of their minds. Being in the arms of another man was something different, but Sora wasn't so sure that he disliked it. In fact, he'd never felt as comfortable and secure as he did with his forehead resting against his friend's collarbone. By the content sound of Riku's breathing, he was sure the older male didn't mind too much either.

Only a few more minutes had passed until Riku felt push against his chest and utter a small, "Thank you." Having a foreign emotion bubble up inside his chest, Riku sighed and pulled Sora back into a firm hug and nodded, smiling.

"Any time."

Riku's lips twitched again as Sora laughed quietly against his chest and embraced him back. A yawn ripped past his lips and he groaned, feeling Sora mimic the action. Idly, he ran his hand through the brunet's disarray of cinnamon spikes.

"You know I don't mind if you stay here tonight." Riku tilted his head to get a better look at Sora's expression, or as much as he could with the minimal light, and found the brunet's eyes closed.

"I'm…imposing." Sora mumbled, but his body seemed to disagree since Riku could tell he was falling asleep. That storm must have taken more out of him than he realized.

"Not at all, Sora." Riku shifted slightly so that Sora was sitting against him a bit more comfortably and leaned his head back against the top of the sofa cushions. "Just take it easy." Sora didn't say anything back, so Riku just assumed he finally drifted off. Even though he couldn't see his friend, he knew that Sora's expression would have matched the peaceful sound of his breathing.

It was that same breathing that eventually lulled Riku into sleep, content with the way their day had turned out.

After all, he'd gotten to know more about Sora than he'd anticipated, even if it was something like this.

That was good enough for him.

* * *

…

**End—Chapter 1-**

…

After much, much, _**MUCH**_ procrastination—and life in general—I've decided I'm going to re-write this story almost entirely. Sure, I'll keep some elements that were there before, such as the fluff, but over the years I've changed so much and I can't even look back at this without cringing and sobbing OTL  
Let's say…I was too naïve about some things, harhar. It must be my perfectionism, since I'm sure no one remembers this fic, but I had to redo it XD

But I am happy that I've gotten back into writing again… I'll probably edit some of my older fics and add a few new ones once I have enough chapters written. The majority of them are UsUk and SuzakuLelouch and etc, so I really hope I do them justice 3

I decided to change up the setting, because I felt that Twilight Town was unbelievably generic OTL Besides, Dublin is a beautiful place~ I'm also being really stupid about the rain (because I know it doesn't pour as much as I made it seem), but that is mostly Riku's p.o.v., so don't take it seriously!) It's fiction anyway, so I'm allowed to be stupid…

**I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS USED**. In any way, shape, or form. Riku and Sora are © Square Enix, and Tetsuya Nomura. Yeah.

…should I make this mature now?


	2. My world still holds too many secrets

…

**Be My Last**

-Chapter 2-

...

* * *

_-If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change-_

* * *

…

The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was light.

Riku groaned, reaching to cover his eyes at the same time he realized that the storm must have died down during the night.

Although, it _had_ continued to drizzle, Riku noticed this as he turned his head to glance out the window; it wasn't as harsh as it had been the previous night. With a long-suffering sigh, the tired Uni student began to sit up before he realized that there was something still curled up against him. Oh. Right.

Sora.

"The…hell?"

Riku felt a small pang of embarrassment settle in his gut as he looked at the snoring male. Sora's mouth was open and he might have been drooling, but he still managed to look as cute as any nineteen year old would as he fitfully slept. The light dusting his cheeks disappeared a moment, and Riku thought heard the brunet mumble something that sounded awfully close to "_Don't put the sheep there_" before turning around to lay his back against Riku's abdomen, still looking content.

"What the?" Riku laughed quietly, shifting his weight a bit so that Sora fell against him a bit more fitfully. As soon as he rested his head back against the armrest, he finally realized they'd somehow made it to the sofa. When and how that had happened, he had no idea.

"Riku…"

At the sound of his name, Riku glanced down at Sora when he shifted closer to him. He smiled for a moment and ruffled his friend's hair, wondering if that would wake him. It didn't, so Riku decided to just let him sleep and let his mind wander.

His life had taken such a strange turn after Sora had literally stumbled into it. The two had become friends rather quickly, not forgetting the other two females he had met the previous day that he was already fond of. It really made Riku feel lighter, for whatever reason. His thoughts didn't get to stray too far, because Sora made a noise that sounded a bit bothered. The realization that the brunet must have been uncomfortable struck Riku, causing him to sit up slowly. With his arm around Sora's shoulder, he debated on whether he should wake his friend up, or carry him to the bed in his room.

"Wait," Sora mumbled, turning his face towards Riku, but his eyes were not open. Riku waited for a long moment, silent, until Sora's head flopped downward and he snored. Snorting, Riku gather Sora into his arms, shaking his head.

"Hey… Aren't you kind of light?" He asked idly, slightly alarmed when he noticed that Sora did not weigh as much as he had estimated he would. He easily carried the brunet to his room and placed him down on the bed as carefully as he could. Sora didn't stir, aside from a long sigh.

'_He looks even more carefree in his sleep,' _Riku thought suddenly, staring at Sora a moment before he moved over to his dresser. He looked at himself in the mirror and frowned.

Sure, up until this point in his life, Riku had been called things like gorgeous, sexy, and even a _god_ on some occasions—which he really, really hated more than anything—but he really didn't have any friends or someone who cared about more to look at anything other than his appearance. He couldn't talk with anyone or share his fears or anger or happiness with, and he'd be lying if he said it didn't get lonely at times. There were times when he wanted company.

Then there was Sora. He had praised Riku for being a nice _person_—and Riku knew he meant it_. _The first thing he admired about Riku was his personality. That was enough to bring a smile to Riku's face that wasn't forced or fake. He supposed he'd been waiting for someone like Sora to come along and pull him from whatever sorry hole he'd fallen into. He was grateful for that.

As Sora slept and mumbled about things Riku'd rather not know of, the silver-haired male watched over him until an idea popped into his head. With no one around to question him—not even Sora—he could finally study the brunet and capture him on paper. He'd been itching to sketch Sora, but his nerves failed him epically every time he'd wanted to ask. And since this was the perfect opportunity, he ran out of the room and shortly re-entered with a sketch pad and some graphite sticks. He knew he wasn't ever going to get another chance like this, so he hurriedly opened his book and started sketching. Somewhere deep inside him, he knew that this should probably be disconcerting, but he just didn't care.

The time passed quickly, after he began tracing and shading on his paper–and he also occasionally chuckled at how simply amusing this boy was. As enthusiastic as he usually was, Riku thought he might be an aggressive sleeper, but it was the exact opposite. He hardly moved around. Sora was more vocal than anything, and each incoherent word that left the brunet's mouth made him laugh.

"Ngh. I... Riku." The brunet finally moved, turning onto his side and wrapping his arms around his midsection and curled slightly while still talking in his sleep. Riku moved his eyes from his drawing to the slumbering boy. He appeared to be asleep, but Riku couldn't tell, since he was facing away from him now.

"Hmm?" Riku almost got up and moved so that he could get a better viewpoint, but Sora rolled back towards him and exhaled heavily.

Riku wasn't sure what he was feeling, but he knew that Sora just looked so—so stunning wrapped up in his white, grey, and light blue bed sheets. Since Riku had been sketching for a while, the sun slowly began to shine down on Sora's sleeping form. All Riku could do was stare at the sight before him. He could _only_ stare. He wasn't even sure if he was still breathing by the time Sora's eyes fluttered open.

Those crystal-like irises were visible now that he was awake and blinking dazedly, and Riku couldn't turn away from the sight no matter how hard he tried. He wasn't quite sure why, but Sora intrigued him like no other. Even something as simple and trivial as waking up seemed almost…ethereal when Sora did it.

"Agh." Sora sat up and stretched out once more, his toes curling in the sheets as his arms extended above his head. The motion finally startled Riku, as he took in the teen's body—his white striped shirt a bit disheveled and his eyes disoriented. His long legs were also lengthened before he pulled them into a 'pretzel' position and yawned. Oh, how the brunet resembled a baby animal of some sort—a kitten or a duckling or something else that was fluffy.

'_Probably as soft as one, too.'_ Riku inwardly backpedaled, wondering where the hell that thought spawned from.

"Hmm…what time is it? I just… O—Oh shit! I didn't mean to crash here for so long!"

"Hey, whoa, take it easy." Riku blinked away his surprise and raised his hands in an effort to calm his friend. "It was late and raining; I couldn't let you leave. I thought I told you that it was fine." Riku reassured kindly, making Sora's heart do a little flip-flop inside his chest.

Sora got up and tried to tame his wild hair with the palm of his hands, but to no avail. Riku watched him struggle, but still smiled at his appearance; the teen's cargo pants had ridden up to reveal a decent amount of his tanned legs, and his hair stuck out in every direction (more so than usual) no matter how hard he tried to fix the unruly spikes.

"Well, I should really get back home. I've got afternoon classes and work and—"

"Sora, it's almost eight in the morning. And I'm not letting you leave without at least getting some food. Come here, I'll make breakfast." Riku's grin was friendly as he rose to his feet and set the sketchpad aside. He glanced at the hesitating brunet a few moments later. "Don't worry. Friends do this sort of stuff for each other, you know." Riku's smile brought forth a bubble of happiness inside the brunet, and Sora just stared. Then he quickly wrapped his arms around Riku's neck when the motioned for the other male to bend forward. Riku was effectively surprised.

"Thanks, Ri!"

"...Ri? I like that. I don't think I've ever had a nickname before." Sora lowered his head up and blushed, realizing that he was still holding onto Riku—their faces a mere inch apart.

"Really? You've never had a nickname before? I mean I guess I can understand that; your name is already short enough. I mean if it bothers you, which I know it does to some people but they never tell me and they get mad and it gets awkward I don't want to be awkward around you so you can tell me if—" Sora nervously rambled on and played with his fingers, looking up only when the silver-haired male cut him off with a chuckle. They were still so close that he could feel Riku's breath tickle his face.

Sora—while cursing his cheeks as they slightly flushed—cleared his throat and finally removed his arms from around his friend, their eyes meeting after he staggered back. "I don't know if I've told you this already, but you're eyes are really different, Riku." Because of the suddenness of the comment, Riku was momentarily taken aback, though a small shade of red burst to life on his cheek bones.

"Different good or…different bad?" Riku laughed when Sora looked a bit panicked and shook his hand with a "Different good!" Upon closer inspection, Sora shared the same blush as his friend, although his soon disappeared and was replaced by a content expression.

"I didn't mean to weird you out. That was weird, wasn't it? Sometimes I just blurt everything out without thinking…" The brunet's stomach decided to interrupt with a rumble, and he lowered his head to hide his embarrassment as Riku chuckled.

"I've noticed. But I'm not bothered by it at all. And I've been thinking the same thing about your eyes for a while now, believe it or not." Riku shrugged, coughing a bit to get out the nervousness. "But we can talk about that later. Come on, let's go make that breakfast." Riku smiled again as he walked towards the kitchen.

Sora observed Riku until he disappeared. His blue eyes fell to the bed-sheets and he bit his lip.

"He's really…"

The brunet didn't finish, as Riku's head popped through the doorway and one of his delicate eyebrows rose.

"You all right?" He asked and Sora nodded, getting up to walk over to where Riku was standing. It didn't take long for him to beam up at his friend and flash a thumbs up. Riku looked in time to see the expression brighten tilted his head when the brunet began to laugh through his parted lips.

He grinned at the taller male and folded his arms behind his head.

"So, I'm really, really hungry." He glanced up at Riku hopefully, waiting for him to respond. Riku didn't for a moment, but he soon laughed and teasingly pushed Sora ahead of him towards the kitchenette.

"I think I can fix that."

* * *

_~There's a crack in everything; that's how the light gets in~_

* * *

…

After Sora had left that night, Riku took in the silence with a frown. A very deep and muscle tensing frown.

He didn't remember the silence being quite so cold the last time—before Sora had arrived.

"Well…"

Riku was at a loss. It just wasn't the same without the brunet to brighten up the room. That was either a good thing or a bad thing—but considering that he'd hardly had anyone over before Sora, he didn't have much to compare the feeling to. The only thing Riku could think of doing was going to sleep early just to avoid dealing with any boredom that grew inside him like fungus when he had nothing to do. It was with a silent curse that the silver-haired artist plopped himself onto his bed and closed his eyes.

'_It's so lonely here without him. Why, though?' _Riku thought, frustrated, before he let himself titter on the edge of consciousness a good while before falling asleep.

After he woke the next morning, time flew by without Riku realizing how fast it was moving.

The next couple of days were pretty enjoyable—seeing as how Riku spent his free time at the café when his friends worked. It was a nice change going there, sitting at the counter drinking some tea or chatting it up with everyone. The place just reeked with such a pleasant, friendly atmosphere that he'd been devoid of for God knows how long.

"Heya Riku," Sora beamed when he noticed the silver-haired male walk through the door.

"Hey yourself, Sunshine." Riku teased with a smile that caused the brunet to roll his eyes, but look embarrassed at the little nickname. He mumbled something under his breath as he heard Selphie laughing in the background and decided to ignore her while he went to put his mop where it belonged. Riku trailed behind him, joining Selphie for a laugh at Sora's expense.

"Pet names already, _Sunshine_?" Selphie inquired with her typical uncanny spunk once Sora came back and stood across from her. They were on the opposite sides of the counter, so he couldn't flick her. He gave her nothing more than a withering stare and a sigh. Selphie apparently wasn't fazed, since she leaned forward took Sora's cheek between her fingers and pulled it.

"Selphie!" The startled brunet shooed her hand away, but laughed before he turned to look at Riku. "Eh… Let's just ignore her today."

"Don't we at least try every day?" Riku teased, sparing a look back to see the girl's reaction. Her features scrunched up in displeasure.

"Hey!" Evidently she wasn't pleased. Sora tried hard to keep his laugher in, but it came out in a big splutter, which in turn made Riku laugh as well.

"Fine, I see how it is. You all be buddy-buddy and pick on the poor, hard-working cashier. I can see that I'm not your favourite anymore, Sora."

"Wha? You know we were just—"

"No, no! It's okay. Big strong Riku comes along and saves you from your endless nightmares of all things pink and girly."

"I had Tidus before, so it's not like you guys are my only friends," Sora laughed, sending a look at Selphie that made Riku feel just a little bit left out. After Selphie fumbled around with her words for a while, Sora wiped his hands on his black apron before he folded his arms and flung an inquisitive glance at the brunette. She righted herself quickly and smirked.

"You only talk to Tidus when he stops in. I'd say Riku's your closet friend at the moment. Hmmm? What do you think, Kairi?" Selphie turned over to look at the redhead as she fiddled with a few things under the counter. Offhandedly, she answered, "Uh-huh, sure." Laughing at this, Sora raised an eyebrow.

"Well yeah. Riku's tons of fun to be around." Sora brushed at his nose when he felt Riku's stare, the back of his neck tingling with embarrassment. Riku looked glad though; if not a tad bit shy, when Sora dared a glance at him.

"Ah, what a sweet bromance you two have," Selphie pursed her lips after a sigh, and even if she spoke in a hushed, dreamy way, Sora had still heard her. Flushing, he coughed and shuffled away, leaving Riku confused.

"What's with S—?"

"Dunno," Selphie answered before he could finish. The mischievous look coupled with her tone of voice stated otherwise, but she was scaring him so he decided to drop it.

"Okay…?"

Letting that topic go, Riku spent the rest of his time talking with and teasing the brunet all the times he wandered through, and sat with him during his lunch break. He still marveled now and then at how easy it was for the two to carry on a conversation for hours. Normally all his attempts at conversation crashed and burned moments after they began, so this was new for him. As confident as he looked, sometimes he just wasn't too skilled in the art of speech.

"I have no idea how you can eat like that and not…combust." Riku spoke. Though his tone was bland, his expression was one of pure fascination. Sora tried to laugh, but the food in his mouth prevented him from doing so and only resulted in a coughing fit, to which Riku slapped him on the back.

"Talent." Sora smiled, shrugging. "When you're working a small job and juggling school, you have to take what you can get. I'm not complaining though, I love it." And he undeniably did, as he took another sizeable bite from his deli sandwich. Riku watched in envy. He'd never been a big eater, though, and he'd been teased for having a bird's stomach throughout grade school.

"Yeah, no kidding. You burn it away with how fast you move and talk anyway, so I'm not surprised." Holding his chin up with his hand, Riku smirked. "Though you'll probably get fatter if you keep packing it all on like that." Sora tensed up for a moment, suddenly eyeing the packet of extra mayonnaise that he was starting to add to his food. Riku laughed as he flicked him in the forehead.

"Don't look so scared. It's not as if you would. I'm kidding." It was with a nervous smile and red face that Sora batted Riku's hand away.

"I-I knew that. I've never been overweight in my life!" Sora mumbled, slowly and carefully administering the condiment to his sandwich. It was with growing interest that Riku noticed the smiley face Sora had made out of the mayonnaise. He inwardly laughed.

"Would you like another?" Riku held up the two remaining packet and Sora blushed at his taunting smirk. Sora huffed and snatched them from him. He then eyed them longingly before putting it back on the table.

"No thanks. If I do get fat I can blame you for tempting me. You're trying to make me fat. That's cold." Sora dodged Riku's hand as it charted a course for his hair and in turn ruffled Riku's hair roughly, startling the taller male. Not used to people touching _him_, despite all the recent contact he'd initiated with Sora, he flinched. Not out of disgust, but he paled when he found himself leaning into Sora's hand after it remained in his hair.

"You know, you have awesome hair. I bet Kairi and Selphie would be jealous. In fact, I kind of am." Sora smiled, tickling his fingers against Riku's scalp. The older male shivered and Sora caught on. Pulling his hand back, Sora coughed.

"S-Sorry! I just killed your personal bubble, didn't I?" Sora laughed awkwardly, scratching the side of his neck before taking interest in his food once again. Riku watched him silently, still reeling from the lingering feeling of Sora's touch. He didn't say anything more, content with the silence and waiting for Sora to finish. It gave him time to think.

"So… You're not mad, right?" Sora asked quietly, making timid eye contact. Riku blinked owlishly, still holding up his chin with his upturned palm. He then laughed as Sora mimicked the action.

"Of course not. You just shocked me. I've never had someone suddenly mess with me like that." Sora gave him an odd look as he finished up his lunch. Shrugging to get Sora to talk, Riku gave a small, "What?"

"Nothing, it's just… 'It's something that friends do,' right? But I won't do that again if it bothers you. Sorry, man." Sora's apologetic look struck something inside Riku, because not only did it look sad, it looked genuine.

"It's all right, Sora. I'm not going to snap at you for something as harmless as a "noogie." You know, I actually like when people play with my hair." Riku grinned, reaching out for the brunet's head and ran his hand through those wild spikes. Still softer and less dangerous than it looked. He smiled as Sora swallowed and fought back the urge to fully close his eyes.

"Feels nice, right?" Riku asked around a laugh. Sora jolted and the sudden loss he felt when Riku pulled away made him frown.

"…Y-Yeah. I guess I can see why you like it." Sora knew his cheeks were probably flushed red by now, so he stood up and gathered his tray, reaching for Riku's glass and adding it to the pile. Riku sighed, knowing that he had far more work to get done and as much as he loved this place, it wasn't a good idea to spend the entire day there.

"So… I guess this is where I take off." Riku nodded towards the door and Sora stopped him.

"Well, my shift is technically over in a few. I waited until after I was done with cleaning and restocking duty to eat. I've been slacking lately," he explained. The brunet groaned when he glanced over his shoulder in time to see Selphie waving and Kairi puckering her lips in a way he knew was meant to mock him. He only relaxed when he quickly looked back at Riku to find that he hadn't noticed either of them.

"Want me to walk you home then? It must suck to take such a long road back by yourself." Riku's offer was met with a wall of silence that only grew tenser by the second. Sora was stalling, and Riku could tell.

Sora eventually turned to look up at him with a smile.

"Nah, that's okay. It's out of your way and I'd feel bad. Plus I'd owe you more than I already do." Sora grinned, gave Riku a one handed salute as he made his way to the back room. Once he reemerged with his belongings, he waved to his friends and gave Riku a distracted "goodbye" before he hurried out the door. The last expression of hurt he'd seen on his friends face bothered him like no other, but he felt like he'd be too clingy and prying if he went after him now. He still couldn't shake the small, nagging feeling of something being not right.

Was there something going on with Sora? Like how he had reacted the night it had rained. It had been a little too extreme to be a simple fear of _storms, _and he hadn't pegged the teen as being someone to let a fear get to him that badly. Not unless it was personal.

Riku could've been reading the situation wrong, but then again, maybe there wasn't a _situation _in the first place.

Riku yawned and dismissed the thought by telling himself he was just tired. If there was a problem, the brunet probably would have told him. "He's a big boy," Riku muttered, still silently hoping that his friend was okay as he stopped just outside of his car and leaned against it.

Riku narrowed his eyes in thought and shook his head.

'_Yeah. __I'm thinking too much,' _his mind concluded as he slipped into the driver's seat of his car and started it up—why he had even bothered to drive when he lived barely even two blocks away was beyond him.

He was all messed up lately.

* * *

_"And I´d give up forever to touch you  
´Cause I know that you feel me somehow  
You´re the closest to heaven that I´ll ever be –"_

"And I don't wanna _wake_ up right…now." Riku groggily scorned his alarm clock before proceeding to beat it with the palm of his hand before twisting out of bed. If there were more hours in the day, he'd be a much more pleasant person at such an ungodly early hour. But there weren't, and he cursed that fact as he glared at the floorboards and scooted off the edge of the bed.

The song that had woken him ran through his mind and he started to hum it as he trudged into the bathroom. _Iris,_ that song somehow reminded him of Sora. Lately it seemed like every little thing brought his attention back to his cinnamon-haired friend and it was driving him crazy. Like, why on earth would Sora dominate even his waking thoughts? It just gave him more to think about and it was too early for his brain to be working so hard.

But once he started, he couldn't stop.

He pondered several things as he hummed the rest of the song and fished out his towels and clothes. The silver haired teen finally gathered the resolve to take a shower then and slip into his fresh, comfortable jeans and his favourite band t- shirt. With one last brief glance in the mirror Riku smiled and exited his bedroom. While in the living room, the silver haired teen glanced back and forth between the door and his small kitchen, ultimately deciding that his desire to see his friends outweighed his desire for food.

So, leaving his car keys on the end table, Riku left his flat and walked to the college. (He needed the exercise, since he realized he hadn't done so in a while.)

The grayness of the morning sky made him realize that he'd probably left a bit too early, but he didn't really care. He could find something to do or someplace to take a nap until his first class. Riku flicked a stray piece of his fringe out of his eyes and decided to continue on with his morning walk. His feet led him just outside of the café, where no one appeared to be inside. Frowning slightly, he continued down the road, towards the university.

"Fuck it. I'm going to the library," he sighed. It was earlier than he'd imagined, but he saw the lights on in the section of the building where he wanted to go.

On his way there, he spotted a familiar head of spiky hair poking out from one of the chairs that he was sitting in—the ones that were littered around the lunch tables outside. Sora didn't seem to hear him approaching, with his knees up on the chair and his head resting on his folded arms. That didn't look comfortable…

Riku squinted and confirmed his suspicion as he neared the huddled figure.

"…Sora?"

Upon hearing his name called, the brunet lifted his head—the tired expression on his face slowly leaving as his cerulean eyes conveyed his shock and dread in an instant.

"Riku?" The slender male blurted out, hastily standing up and stumbling to meet his silver haired friend as he walked over. The pained look was now gone—replaced with a magnificent smile. And Riku found himself forgetting what had previously been there in the first place.

"Hey Riku…" Sora paused, his smile losing a bit of its cheerfulness, "What are you doing here so early?" Riku stared at his friend's strained smile and a small frown tugged at his own lips.

"Me? I left my flat earlier than I should have, so I just decided to hell with it and was on my way to the library. Why are you here?" Sora lowered his head, his bangs covering his face, and Riku frowned. Something was definitely up. He inhaled and shifted to try to see the brunet's expression.

"I-I… Well, that is…" The brunet's prolonged silence caused Riku to bend forward, his concern worsening. "You see, I…"

"Sora?" Riku reached out to touch the brunet on the shoulder, but Sora's head shot up and startle him from following the motion through.

"I was bored...so I was going to do the same as you," he explained with a chuckle that was clearly forced out.

"Oh," Riku's sea-green eyes narrowed in doubt, but Sora's smile seemed to beg him not to inquire. This still only proved that_something_ was off and he was going find out what, even if it took more time than he'd like. If this was bothering Sora, than he wanted to fix things if he could.

"So, let's go together?" Sora tugged at his friend's arm, making Riku hesitantly agree and let his friend drag him into the building. Riku's brows furrowed subconsciously as that damn smile was back on Sora's face. It was forced, as the cheer did not meet Sora's dim, tired eyes.

When the two finally reached the library, a look of panic and then mortification appeared on Sora's face. He seemed to remember something he'd forgotten a little too late, and while Riku was seconds away from asking him, he didn't get the chance as he saw the source. The group of guys now standing before them; he hadn't even seen them walk up.

"Holy shit. I didn't think I'd see the day _you_ worked up the money to get here." Riku was momentarily taken aback at how nasty those words had come out.

"It's nice to see you, too." Sora mumbled out angrily, but took a step back as he kept his eyes focused on the ground. Riku watched him curiously, but Sora made no other moves.

"So who's the dude with the gray hair?" Another guy spat out, just as hateful as the first person. The _silver_-haired male raised an eyebrow when the other's leered at him, his hand moving up to rest on his side as he glared at the group.

"Wait…what? You mean _me_?"

Gray hair? _Hell_ no. Not even close. That comment was totally out of line.

"Yeah, it's definitely gray. Another fag trying to act 'scene' or 'emo' or whatever that shit is called, y'know?" The tallest spoke, scratching his goatee as a lazy smirk grew over his face. Riku blanked out everything after the musclehead stopped talking. Where had they even come from?

"The hell are you talking about? I don't even _know_ you and you're already pissing me off," Riku seethed and glanced back at his friend when Sora grabbed his sleeve, shaking his head. Even with his friend's eyes pleading him, the silver haired teen was admittedly angry now. And as much as his mother always teased him about how sensitive he was about his hair, he did not take kindly to being insulted like _this_.

Even though Sora put his hand in front to tell Riku to stay back, the taller refused.

"Why don't you just step aside and go play gangster somewhere else. You lot don't seem to be the type that can read anyway," Riku spoke lowly, and the blonde wearing the beanie cap moved so that they were eye level. Riku almost laughed at the way he was trying to be intimidating. He guessed that the hat was for dramatic effect or something. It really only made him look ridiculous.

"Or did I violate some unseen code the moment I walked through the door?" Riku asked, unmoving. He could almost feel Sora's restlessness as the brunet shuffled uneasily on his feet and bit his lip. He was about to turn back to reassure him when a hand pushed his shoulder backwards.

"No, no. It's not _your_ fault. I mean, most people around here have a problem with queers," The blonde subtly gestured to the brunet with a sneer, and then turned to his friends. "I bet Sora's having a great time keeping it a secret from you. Why else would you even want to let him be around you?"

"Seifer—" Sora's expression was fierce, if not still a slightly panicked, as "Seifer" cut him off.

"Just admit it!"

"It's not like he'll be any different, right Sora? You're used to these reactions. Maybe this will make you realize that you're just a disgusting faggot so you can stop that shit." The other blonde with the tattoo spoke and eagerly awaited the expression that the brunet showed whenever he was teased—it satisfied the sadistic part inside of him apparently, because his smile only grew. The man he now knew as Seifer 'tsked' and gestured to Sora.

At this point, Riku was like a volcano half a millisecond away from erupting.

"Don't tell me you actually found someone to drop your pants for? I wonder what people will say if they find out that you're getting fucked by a guy. You already know, right? Slut." Seifer picked at his nail, sending a look of disinterest at Sora. He got curious; however, when the brunet's eyes widened and he took a step forward.

"Wait, don't tell me he doesn't even know—"

"Seifer, stop!" Tears gathered in the brunet's clear eyes and he lowered his head, shaking it.

"Why should I? I mean, this is as entertaining as it gets around here." Seifer smirked and Riku clenched his fists, more than ready to send them into the blonde's face. But one glance at Sora and he knew that any kind of physical contact would probably upset him and get them both in trouble. As good as it would feel it wasn't worth it in the long run.

"Fuck this. Let's go." The silver-haired teen grabbed his friend's arm and turned to leave.

"Leaving already? But I still want to play—maybe we can get Sora to bend over for me; I haven't had any lately and he'd be more than willing, right? He's so feminine it wouldn't even make a difference from behind, would it?" Riku stopped in his tracks while the other's laughed at them. Seifer's smirk never left his face. "You'd _like_ that, wouldn't you? Taking it in the ass? Maybe your friend there can watch." Seifer eyed Sora in a way that made him shiver with disgust and he pulled back, glaring but still holding onto Riku's arm.

Seifer's sneer at Sora grew once the words left his lips. "Tch. As if. You can go ahead and leave now and do whatever it is you and your boyfriend normally do. I don't need any of that homo shit."

It wasn't like it those had been the worst insults he'd ever heard, but seeing as how it was all directed towards the brunet, that fact alone was enough to make Seifer the worst person in the world. Riku could only take so much.

"God, I don't even know how they let a sick fuck like that enroll here, you know," the tanned male spoke again as they were walking away, but Riku had still heard him.

Thathad been _just_ the right thing to get Riku to snap.

As Seifer and his friends spewed out roaring laughter at this, Riku threw a punch at the blonde, hitting him square in the face. Even if it had been his friend who had spoken, he decided that Seifer had pissed him off more in the whole ten minutes that they'd been there and he warranted a fist to the fucking jaw a lot more. Shortly after the impact, the blonde staggered backwards and fell to the floor. Seifer struggled to sit up until Riku was bending over him, grabbing a fistful of his collar.

"Who the flying _fuck_ do you think you are? Whatever you did to him before I'll make you pay for right now, you _son of a_—!" As Riku swung his fist behind him, it was caught and he was pulled back by a lanky, mohawked man-whose mouth twitched into a frown. Riku was surprised by his strength, which contrasted with his gawky frame. Seifer got a kick to Riku's side in as he was being pulled back, but the other man placed his foot on Seifer's chest, pushing him back to the ground.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The man asked, arching an eyebrow and he slowly released his surprisingly strong grip on Riku's forearm.

"Demyx." All heads turned to catch sight of Zexion, who was also looking pissed, in the library door. Despite the fact that he always looked irritated, his expression was actually borderline scary as opposed to its neutral disinterest.

"Is it too much to ask for _one_ semester without you guys messing shit up? It's Sora's first year so don't be dicks, all right…? I wish you could all act like the nice little boys you are~!" The tall blonde's sing-song-y voice amused Riku slightly, despite his current situation. Even moreso because it seemed to piss Seifer and his "gang" off.

"I guess we'll just have to ban you from the library, then."

"Why the fuck would you do that?" The blonde shouted and another male roughly agreed with him.

"No way! They started it, y'know!" The large brunet behind Seifer growled and glared at Sora. The two adults rose twin eyebrows while Riku was regretting his decision of punching Seifer and not that douche.

"D'you _want_ more punishment, Seifer? These kinds of things are not outside of my authority as a professor. I can give you so much work that you won't even be able to function. _All semester_ even. Your choice." Demyx remarked, quite amused by the look of absolute terror mixed with anger on Seifer's face. "You never struck me as the type who liked to read anyway." The mohawked professor yawned and placed a hand on his hip and the other pointed at the glass doors. "Get out of here."

"Feh... Whatever. I'm out." Seifer and the rest of his followers filed out of the room and shoved past Sora—who was steadied by Riku—in the process. Riku couldn't see his friend's face because he had quickly turned away to hide himself. Riku finally placed his hand on Sora's slim shoulder, though it was brushed off.

"Thank you, Riku. Really."

"Sora," Riku inhaled, "I think you know what I'm going to ask…" Riku looked away when he received no answer from his friend; although both were still unaware of the fact that the other two were watching them.

Zexion took the moment to break the silence and murmured, "They just clash...for some reason."

"It's almost impossible to even think of someone on this good green earth who clashes with Sora, of all people. But you know _their_ type." Demyx nodded his head towards the door. "Sora's got a good head on his shoulders. We're lucky enough to have known him since he was just a little squirt. That's mostly why this is really, really frustrating. As professors, you can only deal out so much punishment. It's not like high school where a simple detention or expulsion solves things. I wish we could do more, but Sora's capable of taking care of himself." Demyx finished while ruffling the brunet's hair.

"Yes, he's very capable...to say the least." Zexion added, with a glance to the silent brunet, and Demyx nodded. "I'd tell you to suck it up, normally, but I don't think one missed class will hurt you now and then." Zexion trailed off for a few moments while Sora sent him a grateful look. "But don't make a habit out of it." A smile lit his normally stoic face and a jolt of surprise hit Riku.

"Thanks guys." Sora's smile was genuine this time, making Riku relieved to see it. After a bit more talking, the two men left them to stand in the nearly vacant library until the taller of the two cleared his throat.

"You know you can talk to me about this… "Riku hesitantly put his hands on Sora's shoulders and looked at his face. His brows furrowed when he noticed the wetness threatening to spill from the brunet's eyes. When he closed those cerulean irises, he only let a few tears rolled down his chin and fall to blot on his shirt.

Sora felt so weak, so pathetic. Riku didn't need to see this…

"Sora..."

'_I'm sorry Riku; I don't want you to see me like this…' _Sora inhaled and shook his head, waving a hand out so that Riku wouldn't worry. He knew that it wasn't that easy, so he quickly dried his eyes and turned to face his friend after he built his courage back up.

"It's all right. I just… I'm sorry that they dragged you into this, too." Sora laughed, wiping his eyes again. "This… I'm not normally like this. I must look like a little kid, huh?"

Riku's fists slowly unclenched and he turned his head quickly to look at the ground. Anything was better than staring at that unbearable expression. Why was it that Sora could express so much—probably all that he was feeling—so easily? And why did it always affect him this badly?

"You know…" Just hearing Sora's uneven breathing caused Riku to grit his teeth and take his friend into his arms, wrapping his arms around him tightly.

"What are…?"

"If you don't want to tell me all the details, I understand. I'd never force you. Just don't cry, please. All right? I will not just stand here and let people hurt you—you can't expect me to…" Riku trailed off, his arms falling and re-wrapping around Sora's waist so that he could hold him more securely. Sora hiccuped and fell into the embrace, frowning when he realized he had gotten his friend's shirt wet as well. But he didn't really care, because Riku was holding him and making him forget about everything. He needed that release right now.

"Tell me they aren't always like that, Sora." Riku's voice, and his hand gently caressing through Sora's cinnamon locks, brought him back to reality and he sighed.

"No. They aren't that bad. I can handle them normally. I just…don't know what's wrong with me today." Riku pulled back to glance at his friend with his sea-green eyes narrowed. Though they were small slits, Sora could tell that he wasn't angry, just questioning.

"Then why didn't you stand up for yourself, Sora?" The brunet glanced into Riku's eyes—shocked to see that they weren't criticizing or irritated—and raised his hands to clutch the fabric of Riku's shirt. He wished Riku would give him a moment to breathe, because his heart was beating out of control and his mind was racing.

"I don't know. I just... I hate fighting. And bringing people into my problems." It was with a tired sigh that Sora rested his head against his friend's toned chest and inhaled, loving the way it rose and fell as Riku breathed. He knew it was stupid and probably scary on Riku's part, but Sora took in Riku's scent and wrapped his arms around him just a little tighter. He swallowed when he realized that he loved the way Riku smelled.

He touched Riku's side where Seifer had kicked him and closed his eyes tighter. "I'm sorry."

Riku said nothing, but Sora knew he was forgiven when Riku touched his hand and pulled him closer.

"Riku, what they said about...being my boyfriend... Are you—?" Riku was surprised that Sora brought that up. The silver-haired male felt his friend shudder as he folded his hands that were resting on the small of the brunet's back. Sora was worried about _that_? Actually, the silver haired teen had disregarded their comments and worried more for his slender friend than anything. The brunet's reactions couldn't just have been the result of seeing a person who bullied him; there had to be something that Sora was keeping from him.

"I'm not mad or disgusted or anything. Don't worry about it. I'm honestly relieved that I didn't have to show you my ugly side." Riku smiled unsurely down at his friend and the brunet leaned against him again with a cute expression on his face.

'_Somehow I can't imagine Riku having one when he smiles like that.' _Sora thought.

"I don't think you have an ugly side, Riku." Sora laughed, and Riku looked down at him silently, holding him back with just as much of a hold as Sora had on him. "Really, though. I don't know how to thank you." Sora wiped at his eyes once more before pulled back and stared up at Riku.

"Hey. What are friends for?" Riku said with an expression that made Sora's heart flutter in his chest.

"Yeah... Friends." Sora gave his usual smile in return—the same one that made Riku's heart do a similar jittery dance, but he didn't think anymore of it, because Sora was happy and that was all that mattered. Riku moved his hand through the brunet's hair once more before his lips parted and their eyes locked.

"Yeah. Of course."

* * *

_-And I want to get free  
Talk to me  
I can feel you falling  
And I wanted to be  
All you need  
Somehow here is gone-_

* * *

…

Riku spent the rest of his day with Sora—making sure that nothing upset him, no matter how small it was. He couldn't explain it; wanting to be by Sora's side, and not only that, but to take his worries away and to see him smiling.

The entire time Riku walked beside him and kept the mood bright while they walked, and Sora couldn't help but feel lucky to have such an amazing friend. He'd only know him for the better part of the month, but he knew there was something about Riku that drew him in and wasn't going to let him out. Besides Kairi and Selphie, no one had ever tried more than just pitying him or patting him on the shoulder with a 'You'll be okay!' It felt great. No, it felt better than that.

Sora lost track of time as they walked, so when he saw the sun hovering just above the horizon, he frowned. Despite how short time seemed to have gone by, it was already sundown, and he needed to get back home. His eyes slipped shut and he touched Riku's arm lightly as he motioned in the other direction.

"I'll split up with you here." He smiled, hoping that Riku could sense his gratitude behind it.

"Okay… Just-Just let me know if you need anything. I'm here, man." Riku coughed, looking embarrassed, and he hit Sora in the shoulder for good measure. He then leveled him with a brilliant smile before he took off in the opposite direction. Sora laughed at him, waving his own goodbye while thinking that Riku could be incredibly sweet when he was embarrassed.

"See you tomorrow," Sora whispered as his hand fell back to his side and he turned around, eyes downcast. "Good night." His smile was small and warm as he focused on the horizon and walked home. But his chest felt tight for some reason…

A shaky hand went up to his mouth as he realized what that meant.

-.-.-.-.-

While going over the earlier events in his head, Riku took the time to stroll back to his flat and change into some comfortable sweats to relax for the remainder of the day.

"Shit..." The silver haired teen muttered as he lounged on the sofa, combing a hand through his long hair. Riku could say that his life had become relatively calm, yet stressful at the same time. As if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders only to have a different kind drop back on. He couldn't even stop thinking about his situation and Sora (which were really one and the same) for thirty minutes–which is how long he guessed that he had been home before he stood up and trudged to the door.

The decision he made had been a relatively quick and random one. Go to the café and have some coffee to pass away the time; _absolutely_ not to go and deliberately ask about Sora's personal life. That had nothing to do with his current train of thought. At least…not entirely.

"What am I doing…?" Riku stuffed his hands in his pockets and quickly strolled down the street to see how his friends were doing.

Once the building caught his eye, he quickened his pace until he reached the door and grabbed the handle, smiling when the tiny bell signaled his arrival.

"Hey Riku." Kairi smiled at him a bit distractedly, "Um… Do you know where Sora went? He told me that he had gotten off today, but then he just left. I haven't seen him for a while and I can't contact him…so I was just a little worried. Have you seen him?" Kairi asked immediately when she saw her silver haired friend enter. The sudden, unwarranted question caught the teen off guard and he raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Some douchebag named Seifer came up and started harassing Sora, so we just took the day off. He didn't call? I just guessed that he went home."

Kairi stiffened, but then shook her head and Riku folded his arms. That was strange. Riku started to think.

"Well. I know he's not at home, because..." Riku glanced at the redhead when she hesitated and she also held her arms across her chest. "He would've told me. He always tells me when he's going home." Kairi's voice lowered to a whisper as she finished her sentence.

"Then where?" Riku bit his lip and drummed his fingers against his folded arm. What if Seifer and his friends jumped Sora while he was walking home? Or somewhere near the university? What if Sora hadn't even gotten the chance to tell his friend he was going home?

"I'll be back," Riku muttered a quick goodbye before he turned to hurry out of the shop and sprint back to the library. It was the first place he knew he should try, and hopefully the brunet was there.

His legs carried him all the way to his destination, although he soon had to stop and catch his breath-shortly after checking every single room to ask the inhabitants if they'd seen the brunet. None of them were able to give Riku the answer he needed. Next, he barged into the music room, interrupting the conversation Demyx and Zexion had been having.

"Riku?" The mowhawked man glanced at him, those baffled blue eyes settling on Riku's form.

Painfully out of breath, Riku tried to ask where Sora was and after the third attempt, he managed to get a decent question out. "Have... Have you seen...Sora?"

Riku gasped and hunched over to inhaled deeply. The two males looked at each other with worry and hovered around him awkwardly.

"No. Why, Riku?" Both professors tensed at the look that he gave them. "Is it Seifer? We didn't give him and leave, but he just… I haven't seen him on campus so I just assumed he skipped again." The statement made Riku's eyes go wide and he pounded a hand into the wall.

"Damn. Why would he… You don't think they'd actually go after him, do you?" When the two shared a look that Riku didn't like, he staggered to his feet and flew out of the room, unaware of the state he had left the two teachers.

"Shit, Zexy." The blonde exchanged a confused glance with his friend.

"Do _not_ call me that, idiot. This isn't the time." Zexion's face was as composed as ever, even though he was concerned for Sora, as he normally was.

"But you love it when I do that," Demyx cackled and threw and arm around the other, which was quickly shaken off.

"You're really worried about Sora, aren't you?" Zexion's sarcastic remark earned him a small chuckle.

"In all seriousness... I really think we should help Riku out; we still have fifteen minutes left of our break. If Seifer and Sora are both missing, then..." Zexion stopped, sighing and ran a hand over his face.

"Not again." The slate haired male grunted and set the book he was holding on the nearest desk.

"I feel for Sora." The blonde thought aloud as the two exited the room, locking it behind them. Zexion's expression hardened and his eyes narrowed as he tried to shake away a memory.

"Yes… He never gets a break."

* * *

**...**

**End - Chapter 2!**

**...**

Righto.

Second chapter up in the same night /o/ Which is surprising considering it takes me a long time to edit these OTL  
So the third will probably be up either tonight or tomorrow depending on if I can stay up to edit it. Which probably won't be a problem :'Db

**I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS.** Square does. I got just the plot. That's good enough for me.


	3. I'll be right beside you, dear

…

**Be My Last**

**Chapter 3**

…

* * *

_-Everything is alright in the end. If it's not alright, then it's not the end-_

* * *

…

One by one, a pair of feet drummed against the wet and rigid cement.

Riku never had an excuse to run as hard or fast as he was, but he figured this was as damn good a reason as he was going to get. Ignoring the fact that it felt as if he would pass out, and the strain on his lungs that tightened with every step he took, Riku pressed on. He didn't stop. He could make up excuses and fight it all he wanted to later, but he was worried. Something about this whole situation just screamed _wrong_.

Sora wasn't the type to disappear and make those close to him worry—especially not his red-haired friend. That wasn't hard to guess, given his personality. The only frustrating thing was that he had no idea where Sora could have gone.

Riku eventually slowed to a limping walk when his sides stitched up, but that didn't hinder his progress—or lack thereof—as he made his way up and down the streets littered with stores, houses, and every nook and cranny that a half-pint brunet might be able to hide in. But no dice. Even after what seemed like hours, Riku was still reluctant to give up his search. Before he even knew it, he'd spent almost an entire day trekking around town and if he kept it up, he knew he wouldn't have the energy to look for his friend the next morning.

A cold sense of dread settled in his abdomen, the effects making him add a little more speed to his step when he made up his mind to check back in with his other friends. Surely he still couldn't be the only one concerned about this.

Even after he'd made it through the doors and up to the counter, he fell against the barstool and gave Kairi a defeated look as she walked up to him from the other side. With her hands resting on the countertop, she leaned forward.

"No luck then…?" She whispered, her indigo eyes lined with worry. When Riku met her fallen expression with his own and nodded, Kairi pushed her lips together and motioned for Selphie to come over. At the redhead's look, Selphie was fumbling towards them within seconds, wiping her hands on the bottom of her apron.

"Guys?" All the patrons of the coffee shop turned their heads to the small group in confusion, but their gazes were ignored in favor of talk.

"I can't find him." Riku muttered, still clueless and frustrated and cold, and Kairi's face twisted around the same time Selphie's did. The girls shared a brief look that Riku barely caught the end of, but still saw nonetheless. About fed up, he roughly palmed the counter.

"Okay, this is really getting old, you know! _What_ exactly are you keeping from me?" His heart fell at the look on Kairi's face as the result of his action and he muttered an apology. Selphie's hand on his elbow stopped him from speaking any further and he just sunk down into his seat. While a hand went to his forehead in an attempt to dull the ache that was growing, Riku apologized again. He knew this was a waste of time. As much as he'd like to be in on their little secret, forcing them to talk was _not_ how he was going to go about it.

"Can you at least tell me where he lives? I just want to check on him." After a few moments of silence Riku clenched his fists and inhaled deeply, an effort to calm down. His head was pounding and Sora was missing and it was just _not a good day. _

"Well?"

"Riku…maybe you're getting so upset over nothing. Sora _does_ go out and do things without us once in a while. He can take care of himself." The tone in the brunette's voice revealed the fact that she was trying to convince herself that her statement was true. Riku didn't buy it at all, but he didn't press the matter.

"You weren't there… He just… I'm worried. It may be nothing or it may be everything. Once I get like this I won't calm down." Riku pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers and sighed. But Kairi and Selphie just looked away, the latter excusing herself to go back to cleaning.

The words, or lack thereof, from any of his friends were beginning to drive Riku crazy. Was this an everyday thing? Did Sora up and vanish on a regular basis?

"I understand, _believe_ me, I do. But Sora really can handle things. He's a big boy," Kairi spoke around a tiny grin. Riku didn't know how to respond to that or if it would even do him any good, so he scratched a hand through his hair instead. Enough was enough. If they wanted to be evasive, fine.

"I can call him later and let you know—" Selphie offered as she came back around Kairi's side to grab a small, rectangular menu from the shelf. Riku watched her carefully and then turned to Kairi to find her slightly apprehensive. That all but confirmed his little speculation.

"I don't understand why you won't give me his address…" Riku sighed, looking tired, but not intimidating or angry. Selphie's jade eyes flicked back and forth between her two friend's faces—one warning, and one pleading.

"He…" Selphie silently apologized with her eyes as she subtly mentioned towards Kairi, but she didn't continue.

"If neither of you are going to help me, then I guess I'll just leave it alone. He's fine, right?" He still didn't get any satisfactory answers, so he silently rose to his feet and turned away.

"I'm sorry, Riku…"

At the remorse that filled Kairi's voice, Riku stopped short and almost asked her why she was apologizing. But it struck him; '_Sorry_ _for hiding things_' was what she meant and he knew it. He nodded without looking back and just as quickly as he had entered, he was gone.

Riku was struck with a sudden loss of what to do as he shuffled his way down the street. The unpleasant feeling of restlessness was one thing, but the hammering of his heart and sweating of his palms were another. Even when he was young and suffered from several anxiety attacks, he'd never quite felt such a dire sense of separation. Either Sora's presence was like a drug to him or he was losing his fucking mind.

He didn't really have much time to dwell on the thought before a drop of water struck him on the cheek. Then on the nose, then his arm, and so forth. Rain at this hour was not uncommon. It was just unwelcome—especially with his current mood.

"Of _course_." Riku laughed dryly to himself. It was always raining when he didn't need it; just like some cheesy soap opera or conveniently contrived plot device. Either way, it pissed him off almost enough to make him scream.

But he sucked it up and kept on walking like it wasn't even bothering him.

...

"This blows…"

The rain was bothering him.

It was bad enough that the storm had gotten even worse, but now he was stuck out in it too? The silver-haired male grinded his palms together in distress and focused on the people who ran by, trying to find some source of refuge. He didn't blame them with the gale-force winds that came right the hell out of nowhere. He had only recently taken shelter under the roof of a small building himself; though it did little to stop the rainwater from soaking his pant legs and his hair still clung to his face.

"There's no way he'd be out in this." Riku suppressed a shiver that threatened to chill his body and leaned back against the building. With one final dejected sigh, Riku felt his will finally slipping away and called it a night. He was angry that the walk was rather uneventful—apart from almost getting taken down by a car while lost in his reverie. The thing that made him angry most of all was that he couldn't do anything more about the situation. Sora would show up, he knew that, but he still couldn't stop the gnawing feeling inside his stomach. The only question now was _when_.

Riku wasn't the type to worry so needlessly anymore, so why…

He didn't dwell on it too long before he laid eyes on his apartment complex. Sighing in a small measure of relief, Riku fished through his pocket for his key. While he stared at the ground, still trying to work that stupid key out of his pocket, his eyes fell upon a pair of yellow and black shoes. Then a pair of black cargo pants. Then a baggy t-shirt and ultimately a confused, elf-ish face framed by wild brown hair. Riku stopped several feet before the figure huddled outside his door and he just stared.

It was at this point that Riku was unsure of how he should react. He was feeling strangely hollow, because he couldn't decide of he should laugh or be shocked that he'd run into the person he'd been looking for so easily. He felt his eye twitch, so he guessed he was going to go with shock above all else.

"Sora?" Even though Riku hadn't expected to call out the brunet's name so suddenly and franticly, Sora still flinched a little before he looked up and then staggered to his feet. Riku didn't blame him for looking unsure. He probably wasn't giving him the best reaction at the moment.

"…There you are," Sora looked relieved despite Riku's silence and pressed on, "I've been waiting here a while, but… I just, you know—I wanted to see if—" Whatever he'd meant to follow up with was cut short when a obviously furious Riku marched up to him until he was almost hovering. When he finally was hovering over him with a glare so harsh that Sora was almost scared, Riku clenched his teeth together. Sora was at a loss.

He was hurt, yeah, but confusion took priority over fear. So the brunet opened his mouth to defend himself, but Riku beat him to it.

"_Where_ have you been? Do you know how long I've been looking for you?" With widening eyes, Sora stepped back until the taller male stumbled closer and leaned in again. "I looked _everywhere_. I went to Kairi and Selphie and just everywhere and when I couldn't find you, I… I…" Riku stopped when he felt Sora's hands against his arms, trying to calm him down.

"Riku, listen—"

"I don't know why I got so out of it. I'm not…not like this." Riku cringed hard as his head throbbed, but he met Sora's eyes when he felt the smaller male staring. "I'm sorry."

Sora's brows furrowed and Riku shook his head. Before he even cared to think why, he pulled Sora into his arms and embraced him, falling onto him a little out of exhaustion. Sora, surprised at first, soon welcomed the affection and comfortingly ran a hand up to the back of Riku's head, combing through his damp hair. He felt Riku sagging against him tiredly, so he bit his lip and let him rest a bit. This was comfortable. This was…nice.

Sora's eyes lidded and he breathed a small sigh as he continued to play with Riku's hair. "Riku, I… "

"Shh. Just…please. I'm just glad you're here and that nothing..." The silver-haired male closed his eyes and struggled to catch his breath. "How long have you been sitting here?"

The younger of the two rested his head on Riku's chest—obviously tired—and chewed on his lower lip before answering, "Uh well… I couldn't really find much to do, so I just walked around for a bit. Guess I sort of wound up here and then ended up waiting for you, but I thought you might have already left so I went to get some ice cream and then I came here again—"

"Okay," Riku interrupted with a small chuckle and held his friend closer. "I think I got all that." He smiled.

'_Get a hold of yourself, Riku. He's fine. He's right here, he's safe... You're a fool and Kairi was right and…all that damn worrying for nothing.' _ Riku took a moment to gather his thoughts, so he didn't notice that the brunet had spoken to him. Sora swallowed hard and pinched his side a bit to get his attention, laughing lightly when Riku made a noise.

"U-Um… Could you let me go? It's starting to rain harder and..."

'_You're still totally not listening to a word I'm saying...'_ Sora thought with a chuckle. It had taken his tall friend a moment to look down at the brunet, and then he realized that they were both sopping wet.

"What?"

"I mean—it's kind of really freaking c-cold so could you l-let go, please?" The brunet inwardly groaned, the question did not coincide with what he really wanted, but he couldn't allow either of them to get sick.

"Shit! Sorry, I didn't, I…" Riku hastily staggered back when he noticed he had dragged the brunet out into the rain, and his movement caused Sora to stumble. "S-sorry," Riku muttered again, scratching the side of his neck, and took a look at Sora's current form. His shirt was clinging to his small, tan, lanky body and he looked silly with his hair sticking to his face and Riku found himself just wanting to embrace him again.

"Sora, will you come inside?" Riku asked trying his best to not look back at the brunet, just in case he could suddenly read minds or make connections through facial expressions. It didn't matter though, because Sora caught his glance and asked, "Hey, you're face is flushed… Oh crap, you're not starting to catch a cold are you? You weren't out in this weather the whole time, were you? Oh shit, it's all my fault and now you're—" Sora was silenced by Riku's hand when it slipped across his lips and efficiently silenced him.

"Sora, breathe between sentences." Seeing the redness creep across the brunet's cheeks made Riku laugh and smile down at him. "I'll be fine. But I'll go get some pills and change. I'll bring some clothes for you, too. Can't go letting you get sick either." Riku smiled over his shoulder while he unlocked his door and stepped aside for his glowing friend, letting the brunet enter first.

It wasn't long before Riku came back in some comfortable-looking sweatpants and a loose shirt that Sora envied before his own pair of borrowed clothes was dropped into his lap. It must have been a tough time finding something that wouldn't be a few sizes too big for him, but Sora shrugged and threw the clothes on anyway.

It was almost hard for Riku to take Sora seriously when his friend slowly walked out of the bathroom while he fiddled with his fingers. The clothes were clearly big for him, but he was trying to make it work. Sora had been also been trying to pull the drawstring on the oversized pants while struggling to keep shirt from falling off and he looked so genuinely frustrated that Riku couldn't help but laugh.

"You look so _cute_, So-ra." Riku teased and his friend pouted. If he was being honest, Sora did look endearing. As much as he could standing there in several-sizes larger clothing, anyway. (Which was a lot.)

"_H-Hey_! Riku, that's not funny! You'd look weird too if you were in someone else's monster clothing!" His statement wasn't taken seriously either, for the brunet laughed and took a seat on the sofa next to Riku and punched him in the shoulder.

"Oh, you love it. Anyway, it looks like you'll be spending the night again. Are you all set? Is there anything you need or want to do?" Sora went a bit red at the thought, remembering the last time he stayed with Riku. He had fallen asleep on the silver-haired boy and probably drooled all over him and grossed him out. "Well, if you want, we can just throw in a movie and heat up some popcorn? It's already late enough…"

The idea was quickly accepted, seeing as how Sora was in need of a good movie night. Riku popped in a disc at random and fell back against the sofa with a groan.

"I'm telling you, I probably won't last through the opening credits." Riku laughed tiredly and Sora turned his head towards him, frowning. Sora hesitated for a few moments, but Riku didn't say anything further and Sora noticed his eyes struggling to stay open. He gently touched Riku's forehead, making him look over, wide-eyed.

"I'm sorry… You spent all that time looking, and now you're paying for it. You should go to bed and rest. I can crash right here for the night." Sora smiled at him and Riku sat up, watching Sora's hand as it fell and fighting back the ache that surfaced with the urge to grab and hold it. Their gazes locked for a long moment before Riku gave him a lopsided grin.

"You worry too much," he spoke wryly, but ruffled Sora's hair. "I'm fine. I have all the time in the world to sleep. Right now I want to watch this movie with you." Riku blinked for a moment and coughed when he realized how that must how sounded. But Sora didn't look anything other than happy, so he guessed he was clear.

"Thank you," Sora's smile grew and he reclined against the sofa, playfully kicking his feet up to rest across Riku's lap. Riku poked and teased at them for a while until they both decided to focus back on the movie.

Apparently it had been a favourite of the brunet's, but since it was old to Riku, he took the opportunity to study his friend's expressions when he got too immersed in the film. He noted oddly that the bowl of popcorn still lay untouched between them. Setting it aside, he continued to switch between watching the movie and watching Sora.

Riku hadn't been paying much attention, but apparently a sad scene came up that caused several tears to gather at the bottom of Sora's lashes. He watched in silent surprise as a few tears fell down the brunet's cheeks. Sora flushed deeply and swiftly wiped at his eyes, trying to be subtle as he looked over at Riku, shocked to find him watching. He panicked and hid his face out of sight, but Riku pursued.

"I-I-I—"

"You sure are emotional," Riku commented, his voice coming out soft instead of teasing as he leaned over to wipe one final tear that had escaped from the cornere of Sora's clear cerulean eyes.

"I can't help it," the brunet sniffled and his face grew hotter as he felt Riku gently wipe away the stray wetness. Riku's touch was as soft as the look in his eyes when he smiled.

"You're so sweet." Riku finally laughed and reclined into the couch after ruffling his friend's already untamed hair. "Getting all worked up over a movie," he added with another snicker.

"I'm weak to these things, all right? Wha-What's wrong with crying when I'm sad?" Sora huffed in defense and also settled into the comfortable sofa cushions, a pout adorning his face.

"Nothing. That's just one of those things that make you Sora," Riku commented idly while his eyes rested on the television. He was unaware of his friend's surprised gaze on him, and missed the appreciative smile he had been given.

"Thank you, Riku." The brunet wrapped his arms around his abdomen and sunk further down the couch, hoping that Riku couldn't hear the way his heart was beating out of control. He also missed Riku's look as he was too caught up in his own world.

Both soon grew too tired to move from their spots and fell asleep. Eventually, their limbs were strewn all over the sofa in a way that might have looked painful to any onlookers that passed by—but they didn't have to worry about that.

And despite being tangled together, the two had rested rather peacefully next to each other; in a sleep more serene than either had had in a long time.

* * *

…

The cross-hatch pattern of his sofa was the first thing that greeted Riku as he woke up. Unfortunately, that was the only thing that greeted, since it appeared he was alone once again.

"…Sora?" Riku slurred out, testing, after his eyes had blinked away the remainder of his morning drowsiness. As he lethargically rose off of the sofa and looked around, he confirmed that Sora was really gone.

"That's weird… Where'd he go so early?" The half-awake teen peeked in his bedroom and then lazed into his bathroom to fix himself up slightly. When he entered the kitchen, his eyes immediately caught sight of the small sheet of paper held to the fridge by one of his fruit magnets. (Damn his mother and her two-foor-one sales.)

_Riku,_

_Sorry I left without telling you, but I have some things I need to take care of. If you have enough time to stop by, I'll be at the café after my classes. I work late today.  
Joy…  
Hardy har. See you later :D _

_Love, _  
_Sora_

The smile that stretched across his face was instantaneous and it almost hurt his cheeks. Sora _would_ have such messy, yet still charming handwriting.

Setting the note aside, Riku slipped into his morning routine, but groaned after he opened his fridge and took note that the food, or lack thereof, needed to be restocked. That meant that it was time for his _favourite_ activity. Grocery shopping.

Riku eventually built the motivation to make the most of his day off and get the chore done, so that he would have more time for later when he visited his brunet friend. So right now, it was off to his beloved [not really] supermarket. Even thought it was a total pain in the ass to go out; he occasionally found the time to buy new clothes—which he actually decided to do today.

"Done and done." The teen whistled as he stuffed his bags into his car and drove home. Even after he'd made it to his flat and stored all his groceries away, Riku had more free time than he knew what to do with. Or rather, he knew what he wanted to do, it was just the matter of waiting. Riku couldn't even keep the large grin off his face while he glanced at the clock. But now that he thought about it, he had no idea when his friends worked this week…

It didn't take very long to convince himself that a stopover wasn't a bad idea, and took a slightly different road on his way to the café. Once he was about half-way there, he stopped abruptly as a pair of familiar faces caught his attention. The smile on Riku's face faltered, but didn't fully disappear as he watched the two uni professors wave and dawdle their way over to him.

"Hey there, Riku. From the way you're not zooming all over the place, I'd say you took care of things huh? How've you been?" Demyx asked with a burst of spontaneity that made his slate-haired friend roll his eyes—a childish action for someone as fussy about behavior as Zexion, Riku thought.

"…Fantastic. Are the two of you well?" He asked awkwardly, feeling a bit out of place as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. He still didn't know them very well yet, but he did owe them for the help they'd given the previous day.

"Yes," Zexion's rather quick reply earned him a glare from his blonde counterpart. "Do you know where Sora is at the moment?" At the question, Riku looked puzzled for a moment.

"Yeah, he should be getting out of his classes around this time. Why, do you need to see him? He'll probably be at the café soon. I can tell him since I'm on my way there." Zexion and Demyx subtly glanced at each other before their gazes returned to Riku.

"It's nothing dealing with yesterday, so don't worry. Still, we needed to talk to _you_. We…think that it would be best if you watch over him for a bit, at least until Seifer's calmed himself a bit. He's a right stubborn idiot who can hold a grudge forever, that one." Zexion locked his eyes seriously with Riku's and he nodded.

"Sora can take care of himself, but…with Seifer being cheap and abusing his council rights by using his little 'gang'…" Demyx made a noise of frustration and raked a hand through his wild hair, leveling Riku with a concerned look. Riku pressed his lips together before speaking.

"Sora doesn't want anyone to interfere with 'small stuff that could very well get us hurt as well.' What did that mean…?" At this, Demyx looked down at his shoes distantly and Zexion folded his arms over his chest. Both were an obvious sign of evasion, but Riku was done with being passive about this. "What happened between them?"

Curiosity ate at the silver-haired student as he looked back and forth between the other two. Out of all the people connected to Sora, he at least thought they'd be a little more helpful.

"We're…not exactly sure, to be honest. The only thing we do know is that Sora had some problems at home—that of which vaguely dealt with Seifer. We met Sora in the hospital while this fool here was recovering from a motorbike accident," Zexion made a face at his collegue when the tall blonde laughed sheepishly, "They shared the same rooms and clicked instantly, as they had a lot in common." Riku looked at Demyx quickly, trying to find the similarities. He couldn't—aside from the unnaturally happy disposition—but the realization that Sora had been to the hospital had made him curious.

"Yep. Unlike you, he isn't a complete square and can hold a decent conversation," Demyx's eyes crinkled with mirth as he teased his smaller…friend? Riku wasn't quite sure what they were. They fought, and Zexion never looked happy to be in the other male's company, but he didn't exactly try to get away from him.

"No, I meant you're both hyperactive idiots." Zexion muttered, arms folding a bit tighter around his midsection when Demyx's arm slinked around his shoulder playfully. "_Anyway_, we were able to get to know him. He helped Demyx out of a slump and kept our spirits high, and for that we're grateful. He's like a brother to us." Zexion's voice was low, and he looked rather distraught. "That's why we hate to see him suffering. There's one thing that Sora's good at, and it's suppressing his own negative feelings so no one else will pity him. He doesn't like that feeling of making others sad for him. He doesn't have a good past, but he's trying…" Riku hadn't moved an inch while listening to the two. This was a lot to take in, he'd admit that. If these were the answers that he was looking for, it was going to take a bit of time to connect it all together in his head. But if that helped him help Sora? It was worth it.

"Everyone knows him for his personality around here, but he's still a mess underneath it. I hate to see the kid suffer," Demyx muttered as he carefully observed Riku's serious expression. "He's so strong, but he really shouldn't keep it all to himself… He's gonna explode one of these days, you know?"

Riku stood speechless, still staring at his shoes. Were they really talking about _Sora_? His friend Sora? Short, plucky, bright and strong-willed Sora was suffering underneath it all? Riku couldn't process the words through his head. They just stayed there in an incoherent bundle there and he didn't know what to do or how to react.

There was also the reality that Sora had been in the hospital…but what for? There were things he realized Sora wouldn't necessarily want to tell him, and he had every right not to, except now that Riku knew, he wanted to confront Sora about them immediately, especially if they were hurting his friend. He couldn't stand to see a friend undergo such pain.

"What happened with his home?" Riku had so many questions… He realized that not all of them could be answered by these two professors, but something was better than nothing. Their hesitant expressions weren't too promising, however.

"I never had the courage to ask everything. From what I did pull from him, he used to live in the farther edge of Dublin with his family, but his father was abusive. I don't know the details, sorry. You'll have to ask him yourself instead of getting gossip from us." Zexion looked back at Demyx and the two shared a look that Riku couldn't understand, and he couldn't care less what with the new info racking his head.

The thought of his slender friend being mistreated completely baffled the silver haired teen, and a small twinge of fury bubbled up inside of him. Who would do a thing like that...? More importantly, who would do a thing like that to _Sora_? He was a ray of sunshine—no matter how upset or hurt you were, he just seemed to brighten you up. He especially did for Riku. As clichéd and uncreative as that sounded, Riku really meant it.

And it was clear that Sora meant a lot to so many people…

"Riku..." Said teen looked up at the blonde when a hand touched his shoulder.

"I understand that you care about him. He smiles more than ever around you, so please keep an eye on him. For his sake… And ours, too. He means so much to us, even though we've only known him for a few years. I understand you know how that feels." With that being said, they gave their goodbyes and walked away.

Leaving the silver haired teen to continue on to the café, with a different purpose that what he had set out for. He only hoped that Sora was waiting for him, and as he rounded the corner and the café came into view, Riku picked up the pace and strode up to the door.

Immediately after the little bell on the door went off, his eyes instantly landed on Sora's bustling form as he stopped a few tables away from the door. Their eyes met a second later, but he felt a knot tie in his stomach as Sora squinted at him for some reason. He looked tired.

Riku's smile faded only slightly as he rose his hand to wave, but the moment that Sora took in his features, his face seemed almost miserable for a mere second. This shocked Riku, and even more so when Sora shook his head and suddenly smiled—the expression so strained that Riku had to open his mouth in question. Before any words left his lips, Sora looked as if he was about to say something also.

He didn't get the chance.

As soon as he set his clipboard aside and took a step forward, he staggered slightly and used the table to steady himself. Riku's eyes grew wide as he watched Sora's legs wobble and his eyes close as started to fall backwards. The motion happened so fast that everyone watched in silent horror as the brunet collapsed to the ground along with the saucer and tea cup he'd been holding in the other hand—which now rested shattered and forgotten on the floor.

* * *

…

**End - Chapter 3**

…

:D

So rewriting can be fun, I've recently discovered. I used to like going back and changing small things, but this story needs so much done to it that I'm having a blast. (Which I realize means that I have a _lot_ of mistakes that need to be corrected.)

Whatever, I'm trying /o/ 3

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed/favourited :Db Seriously, that's all the motivations I need to keep on keepin' on.  
Thank you 3

Riku and Sora and all the other characters in this story are © Square Enix and Tetsuya Nomura. I don't make profit from this. (I consider reviews more than enough *3*)

See you all next time! (And please forgive/report any mistakes that you might find in this chapter!)


	4. There's no smile brighter than yours

.….

**Be My Last**

**Chapter 4**

.….

* * *

_You know I run to find the answers  
What I need to find is you  
And I don't need anything  
No, I don't need anything  
Because I know you always take me as I am~_

* * *

**(Riku's P.O.V)**

You never really get a warning for these kinds of things.

I really couldn't have seen it coming, the way he just started to collapse all of the sudden. Sora was looking at me, the strangest look on his face, one moment and the next he was on the floor in a collapsed heap. What was even stranger was how everything seemed to happen in slow motion. All I could really do was watch with wide eyes as he fell backwards and landed with a dull thud.

As quickly as possible, I ran and skidded down to his fallen form, ignoring the broken shards from the mugs he had dropped (though the pain still registered as they sliced my knees) and slid my arm around his shoulder. Once I had him in my arms, I shook him. Panic bubbled up when I got no response.

"Sora?" I had called to him and by now Kairi, Selphie, and some of the other patrons had rushed over to our side.

"What happened?" Kairi's face was stricken with panic, as was her voice as she kneeled down beside Sora. The people around us started to whisper as they hovered over us, trying to get a better look, but I ignored them as they quickly got on my nerves. They were like onlookers at a crash site. Could they not sense the mood? This… This was terrifying. For the first time, I was truly terrified for someone other than myself. I can't ever remember feeling my stomach or my heart drop like this. I may have lived a sheltered life, sure, though it wasn't one without fear. But to this extent…

Something this sudden happens, and I have no idea how to react other than to hold Sora and panic as he lay there unconscious. This was a feeling of uselessness that I'd never known until this point. I felt weak.

So very, pitifully weak…

"Sora, come on. Get it together," I could feel the dread tightening my voice so much that it pained me to speak. I easily collected him securely into my arms and rose to my feet with a glance at Kairi, questioning her with my eyes. I think she knew what I was going to ask.

Why? Why _Sora_? Had this ever happened before? I wish she could've given me an answer, but she was clearly just as surprised as everyone else. I looked down at Sora to see his brows furrow and then pressed my lips together tightly. There was no point in just sitting around and taking guesses on what the cause was—I didn't even care, I just wanted to get him somewhere where he'd be checked. I didn't care how selfish I felt; I needed him to be okay.

"I'm taking him to the hospital."

And without another word, I picked him up as carefully as possible and that's what I did. Kairi's car was the closest, so I laid him in the backseat with her and Selphie before hopping into the front and taking off. Thankfully the drive—if that's what I could even be considered doing, what with the breaks and other car horns protesting at me—to the medical center wasn't a long one.

"Holy Christ! Riku, are you trying to put us in the hospital too?" Selphie screamed at me and I quickly threw them an apologetic glance from the rearview mirror. I also looked down at Sora's unconscious form in their laps, but they were having a hard time holding him while also digging their nails into the seat for their own safety. Fuck, I couldn't help it—this wasn't exactly something I could take my time with. I was _trying_. At the very least, I was trying.

Despite that, I was just thanking whatever higher power that we were so close to the hospital; even more so when the large building came into view, and I whipped into the parking lot.

Once I gathered Sora up in my arms again, I glanced down at him and gritted my teeth together. He was pale…very much so, and that was more than unsettling. His skin felt cold and sweaty under my touch, and I quickened my pace even more until we were in the waiting room.

"I need some help!" I called out and Kairi placed a hand on my shoulder to alert me that I was probably being too loud. It didn't matter anymore, as I was soon relieved when a few of the employees came rushing towards us. Without even asking questions, they took him into one of the rooms—leaving Kairi, Selphie, and myself to wait. I was surprised as I watched them. Something about the way they were mumbling and talking to themselves made me remember that this wasn't his first time here.

That thought alone hit me in the stomach and I rubbed a hand over my forehead.

"I can't believe this," Kairi murmured after she sank into one of the waiting room chairs—her eyes closed when she rubbed at her temple. "What has he been doing?"

"Sora's not going to be too happy when he wakes up," Selphie added and received a weary nod from her friend. I opened my mouth to ask what they were talking about but didn't get the chance as a woman with long brown, braided hair approached us. She smiled and bowed slightly at the three of us.

"Do you think you could tell us what they're doing back there? He's not going to like waking up alone again, Aerith." Kairi and Selphie huddled closer to the older woman, who sighed and shook her head. The way they acted around each other suggested they were friends. Riku hoped it wasn't because they'd been to the center often enough to form that friendship.

"I know as much as you do at this point," her jade eyes were sympathetic before they rested on me and she blinked. "Oh, I'm sorry. You're here with them too, right? You're not related to Sora, are you?" At her question I glanced at Kairi and Selphie, their expecting gazes locked on mine.

"Actually no, I…I'm his friend. I just… Is he going to be all right?" I was startled at how raspy and exhausted I sounded. I wasn't even crying, nor was I going to, but that's how it must have seemed. I didn't even care at this point. She gave another sympathetic look, and I couldn't help but be slightly irritated at her expression. It calmed me down, but at the same time I was still unnerved about Sora. I wanted answers, not pity.

"The doctor is looking over him right now. So if you would just wait here for a while, I will let you know how he's doing after he's checked." I watched her form a gentle smile and I had no choice but to nod and look at my feet.

"Okay. Please, let us know when you hear something." Kairi and Selphie waved to her while I studied my shoes a bit longer. After she walked out of sight, I staggered over to the chairs and took a seat next to the window, placing my head in my hands.

"Hey now… Come on, cheer up. Trust me; Sora is going to be fine. He's a trooper," Kairi smiled. I knew she was trying her best to get me out of the daze I had fallen into. I felt slightly guilty because I knew this was affecting them just as much.

"This_ is _Sora we're talking about here. Just let him pop a few pills and he'll be up and running people over in no time!" Selphie also tried to lighten the mood, but I still couldn't take my mind off Sora.

"As much as I want to believe you, I can't. I'm not moving from this spot until I know he's okay." I sighed as I worked a hand through my hair. Surely, I must have looked a wreck. This happened too fast and everything was so damn confusing right now, because I know I was being kept out of some sort of loop the three had going. That didn't bother me. What really did was the fact that they acted like nothing was wrong.

Kairi must have motioned to Selphie, because they both started to walk away. I looked over at them before I stood up.

"Hey? Sorry for being so…tense. I just—"

"You care," Kairi said easily with a tiny smile on her lips. "We know."

They shared another one of their perplexing, most likely telepathic looks and I stood still and lost just like I always did. The two didn't really help ease my confusion as they walked closer towards me and I blinked at their twin smiles. Kairi reached up to ruffle my hair and I made a rather embarrarseing noise, praying no one else heard it.

"Riku, you're a sweetheart." I looked at them in surprise, and with a bit of uncertainty as well. I was embarrarseed by her words, but they still puzzled the hell out of me.

"What—"

"I hate to do this now, but we really need to get back to work. We're short on staff as it is, and I'm the manager on duty at the moment." Kairi spoke, her eyes on the ground. Selphie didn't look like she wanted to go either, so… Why were they? They weren't seriously going to leave him here after what they'd just said. Surely, I'd heard wrong.

"You're leaving?" Both of the girls chuckled at my expression and I tried to glare, but I guess it came out more distressed than anything. They both still looked nervous, but Kairi gave me a small smile and a thumbs up.

"We're worried, yes, but I know he can get through this with you looking out for him; we know he'll be fine if it's you. And you have our numbers, so you can let us know. We aren't very far away, either." My eyes softened at their words and I managed a small smile.

"All right, I get it. Take care. I'll call you when he wakes up." And with that, they left me sitting with a few other people in the scattered, terribly bland armchairs. It was weirdly quiet, and I was really the only one sitting aside from a older woman talking on her cell phone a few seats away.

Nothing was more awkward than having to sit in silence while getting blatantly checked out by some of the staff—the old lady included. But I'm just glad nothing else weird happened.

I had staring contest with the ground for God knows how long before a man with tied back, long silver hair almost like my own, sauntered up to my side. He looked more like a model than he did a doctor with his piercing jade eyes, which made me a bit troubled. I was almost kicking myself in the arse for that earlier comment, because this could be clarseified as _weird._ I hardly knew anyone else with the same hair colour as I. In fact, I don't think I knew _any_ aside from my mum.

But this topic was getting me side-tracked.

"Are you a friend of Sora's?" The man asked with an air of superiority that I immediately disliked.

I stared for a few moments before responding, "I am. He's going to be all right?" The tall man looked down at me and cleared his throat. That wasn't rearseuring in the least. By now my palms were sweating and I was about to run off and look for Sora myself.

"Well, Mr...?" He started with an expectant glance my way.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Riku." I folded my arms and waited for his response, somewhat distracted because of the way I kept looking for a way to ditch him and just get to where I wanted to be.

"Well, _Riku_, I'm afraid to tell you that your friend is malnourished. To the point where I'm very concerned about his dietary habits. His body has multiple scars and bruising, but…there are more frequent injuries from the last time he was admitted. What has this boy been doing recently? If you're his friend, you'll tell me for his sake if you know he's involved in dangerous act—"

"He's not," I said firmly. I turned my gaze away from his serious one to look at the ground, just as I had earlier. It's not like I knew for certain, but I knew Sora. And he wouldn't do anything to hurt himself or make his friends worry. Aside from that, what could I possibly know? He was asking the wrong person, as they kept these things well away from me.

"He'd never hurt himself. This morning I went in for a visit and he parseed out when I got there. That's _really_ all I know." I shrugged, furrowing my eyebrows before l looked aside.

"I thought my heart was going to stop," I spoke without thinking.

The man looked at me with a strange expression and a smirk creeped across his face. Everything about this man was very, very disturbing—which probably wasn't good, seeing as how he was a doctor. My friend's doctor, even. No wonder Sora wouldn't be happy to wake up to _that._ But he gave me no valid reason to doubt his credibility as Sora's physician, so I had to trust him.

"Well, in any case. I am Dr. Sephiroth. Since you're still here, I take it you want to go back and see your friend? He is asleep now and won't be awake for a good bit of time, but... Are you still going to wait for him?"

"Of course," my answer was automatic. I had finally registered the burning in my chest that could only be healed by seeing my friend. I wasn't afraid of it anymore—or what it meant. But I did push it aside as I began to follow the man through the hallway.

I did, however, bite the inside of my cheek at the smirk that never left the taller male's face as he led me through the rows of doors.

"You kids are always so amusing."

I said nothing, frowning. He chuckled at this and led me down a long hall as I silently trudged behind him, trying to find something other than the white walls to stare at. I've never really liked hospitals, but I guess that was really a general consensus. Who the hell did? It was always too quiet and alien, for lack of a better word. Too _sterile_, now that I think about it.

Sephiroth made a noise just before he stopped and I was pulled from my though just in time to not run into him.

"You're friend is in this room," he explained. He opened a door and led me into a white room with two beds and not much else in it. The one closest to the small window was occupied by a little boy, accompanied by a smaller girl who resembled the nurse from earlier sitting on a stool next to his bed. But those two weren't whom I was interested in.

It was the slender brunet sleeping in the other bed that had my undivided attention.

I thanked Sephiroth offhandedly before I walked over to his bed while pulling over a small chair to sit down next to my friend. His face was slightly paler than before – but that could've just been from the lighting. I prayed that that's what it was.

"Sora," I murmured more to myself as I found my fingers tracing over his cheek before I could help it. I pulled them back as if they were burned and shivered a bit. I couldn't go doing things like that while he was asleep. Not to mention while Sephiroth was watching. I turned back, prepared to be embarrarseed, but he was no longer there.

Maybe I'd misjudged him…

I jumped slightly and turned back around when a soft groan slipped past Sora's lips. Looking at him like this made me realize just how much I ached to hold him. I wanted to touch him so badly, and to feel him breathing. I wanted him awake. Much more than anything, I needed to see him open those startlingly blue eyes and show that smile, letting me know that he was all right.

Sometimes I wondered if he knew that I stared at him just a bit too long, or that I was beginning to feel these things.

I know something's going on with me. I can't look at him without these feelings in my chest and my stomach, and lately I haven't been able to make up an excuse for it. It was bothering me so much that I hadn't even been able to sleep much these past few days. I know what it is… It's terrifying, but not enough to keep me away. Nothing could keep me from him now.

As I sat in my little chair, I let my eyes linger on his face for a good ten minutes while I spaced out. I hadn't really found it necessary to come up with a reason _why_ I was staring, and I didn't need to since he began to stir slightly.

"No," he breathed. I sat up at this.

"Hmm?"

"Ngh. Don't, _please_. It's my fault. I'm so…sorry." I studied his pained features as he began to toss around against the small mattress, his expression looking tortured. That sinking feeling in my gut was back, so I got up and sat on the edge of his bed. Gripping his shoulders lightly, I noticed that several beads of sweat dotted his forehead.

"Sora," I shook him slightly, not wanting to hurt him, but hopefully enough to get him out of his nightmare.

"No, don't leave… Riku. Please, no… Oh God…" A jolt ran through me when he whimpered my name. His face twisted and I watched as his hands gripped at the bed's mattress and his sheets tightly. I grabbed his fingers and eased them, hoping that he hadn't hurt himself, because he had a _damn_ strong grip on those sheets.

_What_ was it that was getting him so worked up? It was causing him so much pain even when he was asleep. I couldn't bear seeing such an expression on his face so I bent down and grabbed his hand in both of mine and brought it to my forehead. I don't know why I did, as it was very impulsive, but I didn't know what else to do. When he didn't show any sign of calming down, I moved closer and carefully moved him arms around him in a soothing hug. It was even more impulsive, but I didn't regret it.

I couldn't either, because he finally stopped shaking.

I kept him within my arms until I heard the door click open. I quickly and gently placed him back down and pretended to be asleep in my chair—all the while feeling really fucking stupid for this third impulsive action. It figures. Sephiroth _would_ pick that particular moment to come in. Didn't he have _aid_ to do this for him? At least they wouldn't look at me weird. I tried to watch through heavily squinted eyes as Sephiroth rounded the room to check on his patients. He had tucked the little boy in and I tensed as he moved over to Sora. All he did, however, was place his hand on Sora's forehead as he checked the monitors next to the bed, sighed, and then walked back towards the door. But before he left, I watched as he looked directly at me and smirked.

Damn… So I had been caught.

I waited until he shut the door completely to sit up and roll my eyes. Mentally apologizing to Sora, I looked back to him and took his hand within my own. It was still clammy from his nightmare, but his steady pulse rearseured me that he was fine now. His composed face also put something within my chest at ease, thankfully, and his lips parted once before pressing together again.

I yawned and with my free hand, I moved the sheets more securely over the brunet's body. Although I was dead tired, I wanted to stay awake so that I could calm down Sora's nightmares if he had any more.

"Sleep tight." Even as I spoke, I couldn't keep my own eyes open any longer.

I intertwined out fingers, smiling a little at the warmth, and then fell asleep.

* * *

**(Sora's P.O.V)**

Whoa, _pain_.

That's a lot of pain.

My body feels like it got hit by a shuttle bus…

"Ah," I coughed once. The moment I tried to sit up, a terribly sharp pain ripped through my head and then shot down my back.

"A-Augh…" I groaned and blinked to clear my blurred vision. That's when I was finally able to sit up fully and I realize that I was in a bed—a hospital bed. That thought alone was enough to paralyze my entire body and my eyes slowly widened as I stared out into the dark room. The breaths I took were decreasing in intervals and it took all I had to stop myself from hyperventilating. _Why_ was I in a hospital? The last thing I remember—

'_Oh, that's right.'_

I bit my lip and then winced when the mattress suddenly shifted a small bit. My attention quickly turned to the hand that was encasing mine. _How_ I had not noticed it before was beyond me. The hand was attached to a muscular arm that was, consequently, attached to a familiar silver-haired boy. My eyes widened momentarily as I leaned forward and tried to confirm my friend's existence at my side through now squinted eyes. He really was _here_…

"Riku?"

He stayed with me and had fallen asleep here.

…But why? Surely that must have been a royal pain in the arse! I shifted to get a closer look at my friend's face despite the wave of pain that came with it. That small moment of discomfort was worth it, because he looked more peaceful than I'd ever seen him. With everything that happened today, the relief I felt that he was able to get some rest almost made me smile.

I studied him for a moment, wondering if he'd been here the entire day.

His long, layered silver hair seemed to glow with the light of the moon shining on it from the window, and his defined features seemed almost ethereal at this angle. He really was stunning. But it wouldn't be fun to explain myself if he caught me staring at him while he slept, so I turned away.

"I wonder what time it is," I muttered aloud as I searched for a clock, frowning when there wasn't one in plain sight. I chewed on my finger nail after a soft sigh —I should really stop that habit—and then gazed back down at Riku. He couldn't be comfortable sleeping like that, the poor guy. He should've gone home if he was tired! But…maybe if I convinced him to, he could lay beside me. Right next to me. He would be so close.

I coughed and bit my lip as I realized just what I was thinking about. What was I thinking? Of course he'd be freaked if I asked him to sleep with me. Never mind that it would be completely platonic. On his end, anyway…

I leaned forward and tapped his shoulder slightly because I was still a bit reluctant to wake him. His brows furrowed and he sucked in a quiet breath as I whispered, "Riku… Riku, wake up." He stirred and grasped my hand tighter, but did not wake. It kind of hurt, but I didn't pull away.

I chuckled and tapped him again, this time a little harder.

"It's really late... _Riku_." I tried to keep the volume as low as I could without disturbing anyone else, but the jerk just wouldn't wake up. Defeated, I eventually scooted off the bed and grabbed an extra pillow at the end of it. I stood over Riku and slowly pushed him back in his chair and slipped the pillow behind his head. If he wasn't going to get up, at least I could provide him with a small measure of comfort. He'd already gone out of his way just by being here.

"What are you doing?"

It was more of an amused remark than a question, really, but it still scared the living hell out of me.

_"__Ah?__!"_ I gasped and jumped back, over correcting myself when my foot slipped. But Riku, with all of his sudden, super-human speed, rushed up to grab my arm and pull me back towards him, which resulted in me falling over and on top of his body—_again_. I _love_ falling on this guy. Really. Whether it's falling _for_ or _on_, I just jump at the chance if it's him apparently. (Oh yeah. Sarcasm is my friend when I'm tired.)

I groaned again, my body feeling sore and probably bruising in the places where I bumped into him roughly.

"Oh, holy shit… That would have been awesome if I didn't know you would get so startled. I'm sorry, Sora." He apologized with a small chuckle and I blushed while I watched him scratch the side of his neck before he met my gaze. I guess it didn't really faze him that I was on top of him as we sat in the small armchair.

What a good sport.

"Sh-Shut it, I was just trying to help. I thought you were asleep! How long have you been awake, anyway?" I folded my arms and Riku stared at me, a moment later his laugher caused my features to change into a pout. At my expression, he reached an arm out to ruffle my hair and I batted it away playfully, sticking my tongue out in the process. If he wanted to be childish, so could I. I was a master at it!

"So… Why did you stay here so long?" I asked, trying to be completely serious. Yeah, even if it does get boring, I can be _serious _every once in a while_._

With a shrug, his eyes left mine and rested on the square lump on his hip.

"Well, let's see," his hand snaked into his pocket to pull out his cell phone. I watched his illuminated eyes widen as he stared at the glowing screen and said, "Damn, it's past midnight. You collapsed when I showed up at the café. I brought you here with Kairi and Selphie after that and I just couldn't leave you after what they said. They're probably pissed that I forgot to call. I know the staff here tried everything to get me to go home." He bit his lip and slid his phone back into is pocket. He must have suddenly realized that I was still sitting on him, because his expression was weird for a moment before it settled on amusement.

I looked away from that stare and frowned. I knew my face was red, so I hurried off of him and back to my bed and drew the covers up to my waist. Riku just laughed and didn't say much else, so I had time to think. Now that Riku mentioned my other friends, I felt a bubble of guilt rise in my chest; I knew I had been neglecting my health lately. Even if it happened often whenever I got busy or stressed, I never meant to make any of them worry.

But what had they told him? Panic gnawed at my throat and I sucked in a shaky breath. I guess Riku followed my gaze which rested on my hands and he shifted to get a better look at my face.

"Sora…what happened?" When I finally glanced up, my friend was looking at my with a sober expression on his face.

"I've just been really busy and… I've been a little stressed out so I haven't got much sleep or time to eat," I half-lied with my best fake laugh. It probably wasn't the least bit believable, since I never really liked to fake things. I guess he wasn't going to buy it this time, what with the look he gave me.

"If that were true, you know Kairi and the others wouldn't care if you took a break. I think your health is a little more important. If you're stressed… I told you I'm here, didn't I? You can talk to me." I sucked in a breath and looked away from him. He was trying so hard to help, and for that I was grateful. But I couldn't drag him into my mess of a life. Actually, my past would be a more accurate term.

My life was _now_ wonderful with him in it.

"Riku, please don't." He didn't press the issue, and for that I was eternally grateful. He seemed to be able at reading my thoughts—not literally, or else I'd be in trouble—and that really made me happy.

"Well then. _Sleeping Beauty,_ how was your nap?"

I chuckled at this, but punched him in the shoulder before bringing my knees up to wrap my arms around them.

"I'm still tired, man."

Riku looked at me before snorting, "Well then, I guess I'll let you get some rest. Now that I know you're all right I can breathe. The staff probably forgot that I was even here, so hopefully I can slip out without drawing too much attention." I looked down, admittedly disappointed by the fact that he was going to leave. I knew it was going to happen. While I did want him to go home and get a proper rest, I still didn't mind the thought of him staying. Or the thought of sharing the bed with him.

'_This is not good. Don't go there! Don't do it, Sora.'_

I was just setting myself up for heartbreak. He's most definitely straight, of course. No matter how his fleeting looks and touches gave me hope, I knew how these things worked. This gorgeous, incredibly charming man probably couldn't fall for a silly little runt like me. Someone this stupidly attractive was sure to be enamored by women—like they were enamored by him. But I departed from those depressing thoughts and watched him click around on his cell, the faint glow lighting up his features.

"Hey… Riku?"

He had been flipping through his phone before looking up into my eyes. He seemed to be a bit worried, but he gave a small smile as he spoke, "Hmm?" I felt my throat constrict and I couldn't look at him anymore. If it hurt this much just by _looking_… I was really getting myself into trouble.

But I had to gather my courage some time, right?

"Would you stay here…with me tonight? I-I mean they haven't made you leave yet, so…" I trailed off, fidgeting nervously. He stared at me for a long while and I was honestly expecting him to turn the offer down. It was late and I realized I probably being weird. Oh _God_, he was going to freak out and run and scream and I was never going to see him again. It was times like these when I wished I had some sort of filter over my brain. Then I could at least _think_ about what I was saying before it tumbled out.

But Riku did nothing more than smile. He then surprised me by getting up to grab the pillow that I had dropped and made himself comfortable in the chair once again.

"Sure," I could see his smile widen, and those bright eyes shone clearly despite the darkness of the small room.

I took just a few moments to revel in that smile—because that expression really suited him. There's always so much fondness and care in his smiles… I might've been a little envious at first, but now there was something else invading my heart as I stared at him.

"O-Okay. Thank s, man. I appreciate it. But really, won't you be uncomfortable over there?" I watched Riku think for a moment, and then rise to his feet and chuckle as he slipped onto the bed with me. The moment I felt the bed dip, my head started to spin. I sucked in a breath as he shifted around and got closer.

My heart could not take this right now.

"Well, Sora," my name fell from the tip of his tongue and I shivered, "If you don't mind, I'll just make myself comfortable here." He pulled the sheets up to fit around me snugly and brushed a lock of hair that had fallen over my eyes to the side. I released my breath and locked eyes with him, confused. I hope he didn't notice my lips tremble from the gentle touch.

"Yeah. I don't mind." I inwardly jumped for joy at how I managed to force my vocal cords to work properly. Though no amount of force would stop my chest from heaving. Or stop my heart from beating so loud I was _sure_ he could hear it.

Since the bed was decent-sized, for hospital standards, we had a slither of room between us, but still enough to where it wasn't uncomfortable. I felt that it was _too_ much room. I was kind of hoping that there would be less room, but I forced that thought aside as he turned to look at me. I wasn't sure if he was going to say anything, so I spoke first.

"A-Aren't you cold?" I asked as I looked over him; he simply rested above the covers that fit snugly around my body. This place was air-conditioned, so I couldn't see him going very long without feeling the effects of that.

With a slight shake of his head, he smiled and rested his head on the pillow next to mine. I stopped breathing for a second time. Why was he still here again? I thought I stopped telling myself to be so optimistic about this… But with him so close and just _staring_, I wasn't sure what to think.

"Nope. I'll be out like a light in no time," he stated with a grin, and I nodded. It was the only thing I could do.

To my surprise, it wasn't long before I had heard my friend's soft, regulated breathing. He must have been so worn out from everything that happened. I felt guilty for that, I truly did. I was hardly content with sleeping at the moment, so I just glanced over his features a moment while I could. But once again I was reminding myself that this was stupid.

But I wanted to touch him so badly.

Without even thinking, I brought a hand up to move a stray tuft of his long bangs away from his face, but it stubbornly fell back into place. I chuckled at how soft his hair was and moved a few more strands out of the way in order to glance at his face again. It was literally flawless, minus some barely visible freckles here and there. Since his bangs usually covered most of his features I couldn't really take the time to notice just how incredible he really is.

I'd always wanted to ask him to move his hair aside, even if it did look great the way it normally did. However, I couldn't exactly muster up the courage to move them myself when he was awake. He'd probably just laugh. Or bat me away; he was kind of finicky about his hair.

Once I was content with memorizing his features, I let his bangs fall back into their preferred place. I finally resolved to go back to sleep until he shifted one of his arms around my waist. I was a startled by this, but I didn't move to get away. Not a chance.

It took several more minutes, but I was even more shocked when he shifted and I was pinned closer to that strong, firm chest.

"Sora," Riku slurred out and buried his face in my hair, "Go…back to sleep…" Obviously _he_ was still sleeping, but _I_ wasn't. _Hell_ no, I was very much awake. I'm glad he was so out of it though, because I didn't want him to see the inescapable flush burning across my cheeks. This just wasn't fair.

"H-Hey, Riku," I whispered against his neck—my voice cracking. Something inside my chest snapped as my lips brushed his neck. He let out a soft noise and moved so that our positions were reversed. Now _his_ lips were at _my_ neck. It took all I had in me to keep from moaning at that.

"Riku. _Please_." I couldn't handle this.

No response.

"Riku, wake up!" Still nothing.

Oh, _unbelievable_…

I was so conflicted, if the mixture of happiness, sadness, frustration and pure bliss were anything to go by. At this point, I knew it was going to be a long, _long_ night. Still, I couldn't get the joy I had felt from his earlier agreement to stay out of my mind—even with this new dilemma. I felt his hand tickle my side lightly and I struggled to keep something between a chuckle and another moan buried within my throat.

"You're driving me crazy," I muttered to myself as my heart simply refused to calm down.

A long night, indeed…

* * *

**(Riku's P.O.V)**

It's going to be a good day.

I nuzzled down into my pillow and sighed. I opened my eyes once I felt my pillow squirm. The movement irritated me, because I just wanted some more sleep.

_'Wait.'_

Pillows don't squirm and pillows don't breathe. And pillows _absolutely_ do not have soft, spiky brown hair. I moved back slightly to see Sora resting soundly within my arms. His slender form curled up against me, a hand twisted in the fabric of my shirt. Well. That was a welcome change to the cold empty space that I usually felt.

I guess I pulled him into my arms in the middle of the night. I curse the need my body has to gravitate towards any object that gives off a decent warmth. I'm always cold. Sora was warm. It wasn't hard to figure out why I ended up like this. It would just be difficult to explain if Sora woke up to me holding him in his sleep.

Even though I knew this, I couldn't deny the fact that I liked having him in my arms a little more than I should. My lips tugged upwards when he made a noise and I shifted so I could pull the covers, that had shifted down over his waist, up over him just enough. Once again, I wrapped my arms around him. Sora stretched a bit and moved closer to me while I continued to keep him nice and warm.

It felt so right. Nothing had ever made me so satisfied at just being next to someone like this.

I pulled back when he stirred in my arms slightly and brought his hands around to my back, clutching the dark fabric of my shirt a little tighter.

"Mmnh? Huh?" He gazed up with sleep-filled, clear cerulean eyes and I couldn't look away. It never failed; every time his gaze locked with mine, those eyes hypnotized me and I couldn't get away. I didn't _want_ to get away. I wanted something else entirely.

The truth was that I wanted to kiss him. I really _wanted _to. And that's what scares me. The idea had revealed itself so suddenly that it was almost too much to suppress. But I had to—I just couldn't let myself. Even if he was half-awake and I could probably get away with it. My heart sank when I thought of how he'd react if I were to fulfill that urge. There were so many possibilities.

I guess what made this so complicated was the fact that I had no experience with relationships.

I've hardly went out with all those girls who threw themselves all over me in high school—I found out all too quickly that they had hollow personalities and only saw me for my looks. I wanted more than sex. As strange as that must have seemed for a guy at this age, I was looking for love, not release. A person can only handle so much, you know? Sora and the girls were the only ones who actually saw me for _me_ and wanted to be my _friend_. They weren't overly flirtatious or clinging to me. They were…welcoming and I could talk to them.

I know I've thought about that a lot recently, but it's just so important to me.

The small noise that blew past Sora's parted lips alerted me that not only had I gotten lost in thought, but that he was fully awake now. His blue eyes fluttered open once again to meet my own anxious viridian pair.

"G-Good Morning! How did you sleep?" I stuttered out as I pulled away from him, hiding my face behind my bangs. Ah, the benefits of long hair.

I frowned at the loss of warmth while Sora laughed and beamed, "Good morning to you, too." I groaned. He looked so damn attractive sitting there, hair all askew and eyes lidded as he remained in his little hospital gown. I had difficulty restraining myself from going right back into his arms.

"I slept like a baby," he chuckled and I couldn't hold back a smile. "Um… By the way," he broke me out of the reverie I had started to go into with a confused, almost sad expression, but it soon melted away to form a brilliant smile.

"Thank you. I mean, for staying here with me."

Without thinking, I leaned in and kissed his forehead. The noise that he let out was accompanied by a blush and I found this undeniably cute, so I laughed. "You're welcome. What are best friends for?" He looked at me and then tackled me into a hug, to which I gladly returned.

"Th…Thanks again, Riku." He was looking up at me with a strange expression that I couldn't really place, so I just stroked his untamed hair. My eyes flickered downwards slightly, as I wanted so badly to press my lips against his when they came into my vision. I couldn't believe that I my feelings for him had grown this drastically. It was all so new and frightening and breathtaking.

I couldn't think of anything deep to say, because I knew I would probably yell out something stupid.

"Any time. Now, why don't we go get you checked out of here? I don't really care for these kinds of places."

Sora looked shocked for a moment. When he didn't say anything, I touched his arm lightly, "Hey? What's wrong?" I watched as Sora's face remained frozen with fear and dread, his face completely white.

"I'm… No, it's okay. I'm fine, just… I don't like being here either. Let's see if we can't find someone in the lobby."

"Yeah, of course. Here, let me help you up." And with that, he changed into his own clothing and we checked out and left, but not without a strict warning from Sora's doctor—whom I had glared at when he threw another one of those stupid secret smirk things my way.

I still had wanted to ask about the aforementioned bruises, since I know he wouldn't do that to himself, but I managed to keep my curiosity under control and tucked it away for later. There was a great amount of things I didn't know about my best friend. The only part that bothered me was that he hadn't said anything to me about being in pain or that he was suffering. I knew it was normal for everyone to have their ups and downs, and that I wanted greatly to make the happiness outweighed the sadness—this was mostly applied to Sora's case. Then again, he didn't know a whole lot about me, so I guessed we were even.

With all of that aside, the main thought on my mind was that I wanted to spend time with Sora. I didn't want him to have to think about the pain; I wanted him to be able to smile for me, however selfish that might seem. I couldn't find myself longing for anything other than his happiness.

As long as he kept smiling, I would always feel this way.

Always watching. Never touching.

But I was fine with that, because Sora was the only thing in my life that I felt I needed. He brought the sunshine when my world was so grey and lackluster. I owed him more that I could ever imagine.

"Hey Riku, what do you say we go pester Kairi and Selphie for a change?" He asked me, his smile toothy and bright. My breath caught in my throat and I nodded. Like a fool, all I could do was nod and take in all of his features as the sun drenched him in light.

He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. He always would be.

"Yeah. Let's."

So, is this really…_love_?

* * *

…

**End – Chapter 4**

…

Behold. Chapter 4; complete with revisions and corrections all over the place. But seriously, BOW DOWN, because this was a bitch and I almost didn't want to rewrite it but I gathered my will and kicked my arse into gear. I need to be in ultimate gear to salvage this poor excuse of a story OTL

No. I kid. You don't have to bow. B-But a review would be terrific ;u; Just sayin'.

*Ahem*

**I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS I USE IN THE STORY. Riku, Sora, Kairi, Selphie, and anyone else are © Square Enix. **Okay? Don't rub it in OTL**  
**

Please don't rub it in…


	5. I'm almost never afraid now

.….

**Be My Last**

**- Chapter 5 -**

.….

* * *

_~No matter how far the sky's whereabouts is, I will keep protecting it eternally... Even when there are parts of this body perished~_

* * *

...

'_Oh God, finally some fresh air_.'

The feeling of being out of that hospital and out into the sun was _fantastic_. Then again, just about everything topped staying within stuffy air and walls so white that you slowly start to lose your mind.

Sora leisurely strolled behind his friend and admired the scenery as they walked. Just knowing Riku was at his side was enough to put Sora in even higher spirits than he already normally was. Walking like this—it was almost easy to forget about what had happened the night before. Even if it had been his own fault.

"It's too bad Kairi and Selphie aren't in yet. They're probably shopping right now… They're so weird with sales and shopping and all that. Would you get up so early for clothes?" Sora sighed, throwing his arms behind his head. "As much fun as it would be to bug them, I don't want to get roped into shopping." Riku laughed at this. His eyes locked on his shorter companion and he shrugged.

"Hell no, I wouldn't But who knows, maybe all that baggage carrying could be good workout for you. I thought I heard Kairi teasing you about getting flabby a few days ago, if I'm not mistaken." Riku's eyebrows rose mockingly and Sora came to a halt.

"Y-You're one to talk! I haven't seen you doing any strenuous work in all the time I've known you! You just sit around and draw. Pretty lazy if you ask me," Sora accused, jabbing a finger in Riku's chest. He winced a bit when it was firm beneath his touch. Riku just laughed again.

"Well. You don't see me eating all the time either, do you?" At this, Sora pressed his lips together and gave up. Arguing—while it was really more playful than anything—against Riku was futile. It was fun, though, and Sora loved this just as much as their serious talks.

Wiping the back of his neck, Sora glanced over his shoulder and squinted when the sun nearly blinded him. Riku looked down at him and snickered at the expression he wore. His face was normally so calm, and seeing it so bunch up further made Riku laugh louder.

"Are you going to sneeze or do you just like making weird faces?" Riku asked around a teasing smirk. Sora immediately straightened out his expression and then folded his arms. It looked like he was red in the face if Riku didn't know better.

"I don't know what you're talking about; my face is gorgeous," he paused to cough, wiping his neck, "A-Anyway, it's gotten a bit warm out, huh? Got any ideas about what to do with the rest of the day?"

The silver-haired male glanced around and then shrugged lightly. Sora watched him and then he pressed his lips together, bringing his hand up to cover his opposite elbow.

"I mean, if you wanted to hang out, that is." Sora bit his lip this time, looking so awkwardly regretful that Riku almost wanted to slap that self-consciousness right out of him.

"Of course I'll hang with you. But just so you know, I'm completely terrible at suggestions. You get to choose today. It's still early and we don't really have much to do, so…why don't we go try that park idea of yours? Didn't you say a bunch of stuff about 'Phoenix Park' or something a while ago?" A grin broke across Sora's face as Riku finished and he threw his arms behind his head.

"Yeah, nothing beats a lazy walk in the park. I love being outside." Sora grinned.

Of _course_ he did. Riku wasn't surprised by that revelation in the least.

"You don't say?" The taller male rolled his eyes as Sora poked him in the arm and snorted lightly, "It would probably be a good idea to get some food, too; I'm starving." Riku suggested, watching Sora carefully. The brunet didn't seem to act any differently and just nodded at this with a smile. Maybe if he persisted a bit more, he could get the other to at least open up a little bit.

"Yeah. I need to get something in my stomach soon or it'll implode on itself." Sora made a noise as he scratched at his abdomen, but then stretched as if he were testing out how flexible he could actually be after his night in the clinic. He caught Riku staring a moment later and then looked down at his shoes. Riku wasn't sure if it was another fit of self-consciousness or if he was feeling guilty. All he knew was that he needed to wipe that pained expression on his friend's face away.

"Sora," he spoke gently. The other looked at him for a moment before looking away and his hands fisted into balls over his abdomen.

"I… I need to take better care of myself. I know that, I do. I can't… I don't want to cause you any more trouble. All of you, I mean." Riku noticed that Sora's voice had dropped in confidence as he spoke. His smile only fell slightly, however. Riku disliked that, so he elbowed Sora teasingly and ruffled his hair.

"Well, you had no problems downing an entire club sandwich a few days ago. How about we go and get some real food?" Riku suggested, grinning. Sora flushed at his words. Real food? Like, as in a restaurant? He hardly had the extra cash for that… But the thought of eating alone with Riku made him want to agree more than anything. Almost like…a date? Almost. But not quite.

He bit his lip. Oh, he wished he could give in.

"I don't know. I'm reeeaaally broke right now. Like really." Sora tried to laugh it off, but his chest tightened and it came out weak. Riku watched him for a bit longer than necessary before he shrugged.

"I'll let you make it up to me then," Riku grinned, winking and then flicking Sora as he walked on ahead. Sora was a bit surprised at this, but if Riku was going to offer… Hell, he wasn't going to let that go to waste. Chuckling, Sora jammed his hands into the pockets of his cargo shorts and he breathed the morning air in deeply as he caught up to his friend.

"I think we should still drop by to let Kairi and Selph know how you're doing. You think they'd be in by now?" Riku asked suddenly. Sora looked up from the ground to see the café in his line of vision. Well shit, that hadn't been a far walk. At least, it didn't feel like it. He shrugged, looking up to Riku helplessly and they decided to check in anyway. The two stopped in front of the building and glanced at each other. The look was nervous on Riku's part, but that helped Sora remember what he'd said the night before.

"Oh, god, they're going to murder me." Riku looked ahead, brows furrowing in panic and it was just so funny Sora couldn't stop himself from laughing.

"Don't worry. They're…not big on holding grudges?" Sora tried, hiding another rogue laugh. Riku's eyes narrowed as his shoulders fell.

"Somehow the way you _asked _that doesn't fill me with much confidence." Riku's look was blank, but Sora saw the glimmer in his eyes. He no longer looked worried at all. Or if he was, he was brilliant at hiding it.

"You'll be fine. Let's get going." Sora patted his friend on the shoulder and then held the door open for him until Riku nodded for him to go first. The moment Sora got one foot through the door he was squished between two sets of arms. So they had been waiting for the poor kid…

"Sora! Oh my God, are you all right? How are you feeling? You're not hurt are you? Is the heat affecting you today? When did you leave? What did the doctor day? Are you dying? Oh my god, Kairi, he's dying—" Kairi and Selphie both clung to Sora and spewed forth questions faster than Sora could comprehend or even try to answer. As Riku watched them, he caught one of the employees near them smiling. Her hand stopped as she was cleaning the table and her blue eyes were filled with relief. When Sora noticed the blonde, he managed to wave to her and she laughed, waving back. That made Riku laugh as well.

Everyone cared for Sora.

Riku's also let his tension ease as he leaned against the wall, smiling to himself. He really was thankful that Sora wasn't seriously injured. What would he have done if Sora was seriously ill—or hadn't woken up? There was still so much about Sora that he didn't know; personal things like Sora's home, his family, those bruises… There was that small, irking feeling that Seifer had something to do with the recent ones, but he couldn't be positive. If was just a hunch, after all.

He didn't _need_ to know these things in order to care for Sora; he already did that without knowing. But he made a promise to keep Sora out of trouble, and he was sticking by it.

"Riku?" The named male looked down to the redhead addressing him and blinked, "Hmm?" He had totally zoned out, missing the girl standing before him. She wasn't wearing her usual smile, so that got him kind of worried.

"I asked if you wanted a drink or something while you're here. Do you?" Kairi impatiently tapped her foot and Riku immediately knew that she was angry with him. He should've seen the signs earlier. Selphie glaring at him over her shoulder? Shit. Kairi not smiling? Fuck.

She wasn't here only to ask him to order something. He had the sinking feeling he was going to get a lecture, but he still hoped to wiggle out of it.

"Kairi, look… I'm sorry for not contacting you. I am." Riku sighed when she looked up at him, her eyes searching. She blew some of her hair out of her face however when he gave a sheepish smile. Hitting him on the forearm, Kairi started to walk away.

"I'm not that angry. I knew you'd get him back into shape. Just don't forget to _call_ next time, okay? We're women; we _worry_." She smiled before going back to work, checking on some tables nearby.

Crisis avoided. That was barely even worth getting himself worked up over. He was so glad she wasn't upset.

"Is something wrong, Riku?" The question startled him so badly that he jumped a bit as Sora appeared at his side. The brunet jumped as well, concern written over his features when his friend hesitated. Riku cringed lightly and then let his eyes meet Sora's, but only for a moment.

"No. No, I was just thinking about some stuff. You know, letting my mind wander as usual. That's all." Riku played it off with a toothy grin until Sora looked up at him doubtfully. Sora's arms wrapped around his midsection, but he didn't say anything. He kept his gaze on Riku so long the older was beginning to feel nervous. But he didn't look away either, as he was beginning to lose himself in the other's eyes. That had been happening a little too often recently.

"Sora, I—"

"…All right, you lazy bums. Quit loitering." Selphie stuck her tongue out as she came up behind Riku and pushed him. He stumbled a few feet forward, almost into Sora, and threw the girl an unimpressed look over his shoulder.

"You should take a sick day, Sora. You know hardly anyone comes in on Sundays," Kairi drawled as she put her arm on Sora's shoulder and ruffled his hair with her other hand. His cheeks puffed out in protest, but he laughed a minute later when she released him. Riku snorted and flicked Kairi in the forehead, laughing when she flicked Sora instead of retaliating back at him. Sora squawked, but staggered back with his hands up in defeat.

"But really, you need the rest. Why don't you spend the rest of the day with Riku before you com—_go_ home." Sora and Kairi shared a cautious look that made Riku feel lost, but he decided to ignore it.

"Seriously. It's our break time anyway. You're ruining our scheduled naps," Selphie murmured with a yawn, her slim fingers moving to roll up her sleeves—higher than they already were—and she stretched out the top of her apron.

'_They're doing this on purpose. I already took my sick days this month,' _Sora thought with a grateful smile, and grabbed Riku's hand. Riku looked down at him curiously before he was all but dragged towards the door.

"See you guys later, then! While you work, I'll be out with _this _party animal," he nodded towards Riku.

"Wha—"

"Be jealous," Sora grinned and nudged open the door, his hand still encasing Riku's.

"I-I-I, wha—Hey!" Kairi and Selphie laughed at Riku's startled, slowly flushing face as he was led out of the building.

"Ohh, that boy is in some trouble." Kairi laughed, Selphie nodding in agreement as they watch the two disappear out of sight. Sora on his own was pretty restless, Sora hyped on caffeine was pure terror to anyone who hated moving.

"If Sora doesn't drive him crazy by the end of the day, I'll eat my apron."

Kairi chuckled.

"I'm holding you to that."

…-_-_-_-…

"Ahh, I can't get enough of this!"

A joyous laugh escaped Sora's lips as he scurried towards some near birds, which were startled by his presence and then flew away. He looked disappointed.

Riku snorted.

"Slow down before you get yourself hurt," he then laughed, watching Sora run on ahead. It was too hot for running in this weather, but somehow Sora was managing just fine. (He suspected the coffee Kairi had handed him earlier had something to do with this boundless energy…) Despite the heat, the sun lit up their surroundings. The park was beautiful. In all his few years living in Dublin, he'd never thought twice about visiting this place. Even if it was a bit of a drive.

He just couldn't stop looking around at all the people and animals and, oh, his fingers _itched_ to be holding his camera.

"So you've really never been here? Ever?" Sora asked once he stopped in front of Riku, getting him to follow along as he walked behind with his hands in his pockets.

"No, I haven't. I guess I've just been so caught up in uni and my artwork that I never really had the time to drive out here. I regret that." A rueful smile spread over his face and Sora chuckled.

"That's too bad. But at least we're here now, yeah? It's great... Did you know that it's the largest "walled" park in Europe? And that there are several monuments here, like the Magazine Fort? There's so much here that it just makes me want to see it all," Sora breathed, looking up through the trees bathed in sun as they walked under them. All the different shades of green reminded him of his friend's irises and he smiled. His eyes squinted in happiness and Riku found himself staring while Sora continued to ramble.

"Oh, and my mum used to sing me this funny little tune. About the Fort, I mean. This probably is completely off, but I think it went something like, "_Now's here's a proof of Irish sense,_ _here Irish wit is seen._ _When nothing's left that's worth defense—"_

"_We build a Magazine_." They answered together, Sora whipping his head up to meet Riku's gaze, a surprised yet delighted smile plastered on his face.

"Oh, you've heard it?" Sora asked, a lilt in his voice. "Mum was always singing stuff like that…" Sora trailed off, smiling fondly. Riku watched him curiously, as he'd never seen that type of expression on his face. Sora never had mentioned any of his family. Riku thought about asking, but decided against it. He still hadn't shared much about his life either, so he swore off personal questions for now. But if Sora wanted to talk, he was all ears.

"You're pretty big on all this ancient stuff, huh?" Riku stretched his hands in his pockets and glanced away from the brunet, whom he had been occupied with watching for a while. Sora would gaze at him cheerfully, walking and running around entranced by the simplest things as if he hadn't just been sleeping in a hospital bed a few hours ago.

"Yeah, I guess. I wouldn't call it 'ancient,' but I do like a good, interesting bit of history now and then." Sora grinned. "Oh hey, why don't we follow this path? I think there's a lake that way." Sora pointed to the dirt road that led away from the main one. Riku nodded and followed behind his friend, content with wherever he led them.

Halfway down the path, Riku noticed a woman briskly walking her two dogs. They were about to cross paths, Sora waving politely to the woman, when her dogs pulled themselves over to stand in front of the brunet. Sora laughed, bending down to pet them before they both vied for his attention. Riku was surprised, and it was clear that their owner was as well.

"Hi there!" Sora laughed.

"Whoa, whoa!" She struggled to get a better grip on their leashes as they were dragging themselves to get closer to the brunet. "They really seem to like you. You got dog treats in your pockets or something?" The woman asked, her accented English sounding sweet, and a friendly smile graced her lips as she moved a lock of her hair away from her face. She was a…busty woman with long and dark hair, and a curvy figure hidden beneath her workout clothing. She seemed hardly older than twenty-five, though.

"You're great with dogs, kid! Do you own any?" She asked around an even wider smile. At the question, Sora's smile grew slightly sad and he shook his head.

"Not at the moment, unfortunately. I've never really owned any pets before, because my dad was…allergic to them," he muttered with a small frown that quickly evaporated to reveal his normal one. "Ah. They're so soft," Sora pursed his lips, but laughed as one of the dogs drenched his hand with its long tongue. "They're…not shy, are they?" Sora asked, and the woman laughed loudly.

"Not today, apparently!"

Riku managed a smile at their sociable chitchat. While he was watching Sora scratch under the huge, black dog's ear, the smaller reddish-brown one padded over to lick at his hand. With a smile, he crouched down to pet the animal.

"Hey there. You got a name, bud?" Riku grimaced when the animal licked his cheek and he wiped away the wetness before the woman chuckled, causing him to look up.

"Well, the black one's Zack, and this mutt here is Reno. I'm Tifa, by the way." The woman's smile grew as she extending a hand.

"I'm Riku. A pleasure." Riku paled slightly at the iron grip she had on his hand when she came up to shake it. After he gave a nervous smile, he watched her move over towards Sora and enthusiastically shake his hand. Sora looked surprised—Riku guessed it was from her ungodly strength—but returned the gesture with equal fervor.

"I'm Sora. It's nice to meet you. And your dogs." The two animals suddenly barked, almost as if to introduce themselves, and nudged up against the brunet's hands and his legs. Riku was still amazed at how friendly they'd become to Sora in an instant.

"I've got two more at home! In fact, one's is close to giving birth. I could let you take one of her puppies if you're interested?" She offered and Sora smiled, though the expression wasn't as cheerful as his previous ones. Riku noticed, but Tifa didn't seem to. Sora laughed cheerlessly at Zack as he reached down to pet him, as the dog had nudged his hand.

"I wish I could. Really, I do, but…I just don't have the room or funds to right now, you know? I'm sorry." A frown had replaced the brunet's smile and Tifa moved beside him. Her brown eyes were curious as she patted his shoulder lightly and then tilted her head to the side.

"Hey now, why are you sorry? How about this then, I'll call you when she has them and you can visit whenever you want? You're a good kid. My dogs proved that; they don't go up to just anybody like this." Sora smiled at her offer, but tears gathered in his eyes, shocking the other two—and clearly shocking himself a bit as well. He quickly turned away, covering his nose and mouth while he tried to laugh.

"Ha, what's this? Must be the pollen—"

'Pollen' his arse.

"Sora," Riku frowned, interrupting him. Sora looked up at him, his brows furrowed. His eyes were a bit red, and there was no way that Riku was going to leave this go now that he'd witnessed it. Seeing a bit more liquid gather at the bottom of his lashes, Riku stepped forward. His hand made it to Sora's cheek and stayed there, but his finger was slowly grazing under his friend's eye. Sora's breath caught in his throat and he struggled to look away.

He was always gasping for air when Riku gave him that look.

Tifa watched them silently, wringing her hands together as her animals sat by her side. Riku didn't say a word, even after Sora touched his hand.

"Look… I'm really okay. Don't worry about me. It's… This is… I was just—" The more he tried to complete his sentence, the more his voice failed him and he stopped. Riku watched him furrow his brows and bite his lip as he turned away. His expression was enough to make Riku snap.

He grabbed Sora's arm and twisted him back around into a tighter embrace. Sora gasped. He went still for a moment, but then sagged into Riku's hold and let out a small, shaky sound.

"You don't have to explain anything to me. If you need to cry, cry. There's no reason for holding that back. I know you—you're not very good at hiding what you feel. I'm not a stranger, so my shoulder's all yours, okay?" Riku tried to smile as he pulled back and touched Sora's face again. This time, Sora actually felt his tears fall and Riku's fingers caught them before they could really go anywhere.

This side of Riku was driving him insane.

"You…" Sora's fingers entangled in the back of Riku's shirt as he clung to the older male and it seemed like whatever was keeping him from breaking down finally disappeared. "Why do you… You make me so crazy when you say these things… Damn it, Riku…" Sora tried to laugh, but it came out more as a gasp as he tried to calm down. He was crying in front of his best friend _again_. He didn't know why Riku stayed with him and put himself through this.

He was an emotional wreck—and it showed.

"Sorry—"

"Don't you dare a-apologize." Sora muttered against Riku's shoulder, biting his lip to hold back the urge to hide his face in Riku's neck and hold him tightly.

Tifa finally exhaled and moved to rub the brunet's back soothingly as she gave Riku a worried look. The dogs hovered around and licked at Sora's hands, a whine emitting from Zack's throat while Reno sat in silence. They nudged Sora a few times until he laughed.

It was like when Sora was sad, anyone around him felt his pain. This definitely further proved that.

Riku pulled back slightly so that he could study his friend's expression. Sora wasn't frowning, but his eyes were still wet and he still looked pained. Riku thought that was enough of that. He wiped Sora's tears away once more and ruffled his hair. Sora didn't laugh; he just looked up at Riku with those wide, clear orbs inquisitively. The want to kiss him pulled at Riku's chest so tightly that he almost gave in. Instead, he pressed a light kiss to Sora's hair and pinched him in the side.

"O-Ow! The heck was that for?" Sora squirmed, but laughed. Riku thanked his lucky stars that Sora hadn't felt that action.

"For worrying me," Riku moved so that his lips were next to Sora's ear, "I know you're not ready to tell me about yourself, and I'm not going to ask either… Just know that if it hurts you again, I will_ always_ be here for you." Sora inhaled—the only thing he could do to keep back a moan—and he shivered. When Riku pulled back, his eyes were intensely bright and…feverish? Sora had never seen them look that way in the short time they'd known each other.

Tifa curiously looked back and forth between the two for a few moments and then smiled to herself.

"I'm really sorry if I brought up some things you really wished I hadn't…" Tifa placed a hand on Sora's head and he blinked to rid his eyes of the remaining tears. He gave her a smile and shook his head.

"Nah, it's cool." He laughed. "I think this did me some good, actually. I'm embarrassed, yeah, but I think it was worth it. You've got nothing to be sorry for since you were the victim of my little breakdown," Sora flashed a grin and Tifa made a noise that was a cross between a laugh and a bark.

"I like you kids." At this, Riku scratched the back of his neck, but gave her a smile. He was no kid, but this woman wasn't all that bad either. She'd given him a reason to get closer to Sora, and that gave him all the more reason to be grateful for their meeting.

"Ah, shoot. I need to be getting home soon, since I've got a lot of dinners to prepare." At this, the two dogs seated at Sora's feet perked up and trotted closer to her. "Sora, Riku, I want to give you both my phone number." She took a pen from the bag attached to her hip and ripped a small sheet of paper from what looked like a planner, scribbled on it, and handed it to Sora and winked at Riku.

Sora took the paper and looked at the dog owner gratefully. "Thank you. And I'm really sorry about this." Riku looked over his shoulder at the small paper and then gave her a smile as well.

"You're very welcome; and don't you worry about it. I'd be a fool to let go of two guys as interesting as you. You're not bad looking, either." Tifa admitted slyly, making Sora flush and Riku cough.

"I, uh, I work at that little café on the first block of the main street. The one on the corner, _Sweet Rhapsody_. You should drop by there for a visit sometime," Sora offered and Tifa nodded.

"I'll be taking you up on that offer, just you wait. You just get better in the meantime." She let her knuckles graze Sora's cheek in a harmless sort of punch and he laughed.

"Take care now~!" The two watched the friendly woman stalk away, the dogs trotting happily around her. After she vanished from sight, Riku sighed and closed his eyes and shortly after the motion, he felt a hand slip into his own. Whipping his head towards Sora, he found that his friend was looking everywhere but at him. This brought something akin to hope up inside his chest and his eyes lidded, his gaze soft. When Sora finally made eyes contact, Riku noticed the red colour staining his normally tanned cheeks.

"I… I'm sorry. You know, for how things turned out. I know this was the last thing you wanted, especially after what happened yesterday." A self-depreciating smile came to Sora's lips and Riku shrugged, his hold on Sora's hand tightening. Sora looked at it in surprise. Riku took this to mean that his friend had counted on him not returning the gesture.

"You feel better, don't you?" Sora turned towards him, his features twisted in curiosity and he thought for a moment.

"I do. Yeah. But you…" Sora murmured as his gaze fell to their interlocked hands. He looked up at Riku and said nothing. Neither seemed to mind that they were staring, but Riku felt his arm moving automatically and he panicked. Sora looked at him expectantly, though it faded and he almost looked disappointed when Riku dropped his hand.

"That's good. I have no regrets, then." Riku nodded towards the trail they'd been on and let go of Sora's hand. "Let's see where this takes us?" Riku smiled and turned around. Sora frowned at the sudden sense of loss and followed Riku back to their path, looking down at his fingers. When he was sure that his friend's attention was elsewhere, he traced a few fingers over his palm. It was still warm.

Riku's touch was inimitable, and he found himself craving for more, despite how he knew he shouldn't.

"So, are there any more random facts that you know about this '_Páirc an Fhionnuisce__'?" _Riku asked, the Irish flowing off his tongue. Ever since he'd been with Sora, hadn't needed to use the language, which was a small weight off his shoulders as it wasn't his native, but he didn't mind it this time. Sora looked up at him, and Riku noticed that he'd been distracted.

Then Sora grinned.

"Oh, you're going to be sorry you asked that." Sora's look was borderline mischievous and Riku was almost as amused as he was. He folded his arms and nodded sagely. Normally Riku would have been uneasy when someone wanted to teach him something, but this time he was intrigued.

"Bring on the knowledge."

.….

* * *

.….

"Where do you get so much energy? I'm serious. This is inhuman."

Riku panted, as he took a seat on the swing next to Sora. After Tifa had left, Riku and Sora had continued down the path again until Sora decided he wanted to stop and take a break on the swings. Of course it had stop to rain—which had come out of _nowhere_—but that had quickly passed. Riku was just grateful for a rest.

"Like I said before; talent. Maybe it's _you_ that needs exercise." Sora declared with a grin and let the wind ruffle his slightly-damp hair as he swung. The teen really was an endless fountain of energy and Riku was envious. He wished he at least had the energy to keep up.

"Yeah, sure. Say what you want. I'm fit enough for the both of us." Riku snorted, kicking back and forth lazily. Sora had mentioned something about competing for height, but looking at him flying practically over the top, Riku wasn't even going to try.

"Mmhm. So then you don't mind doing my daily exercises for me then?" Sora spoke each time he passed Riku as he swung back and forth.

"Not at all." Riku spoke quietly to his friend while he watched him out of the corner of his eye. Sora chuckled and continued to propel himself forwards, then backwards.

"I'm glad that we came here today, Riku." Sora sighed and leaned back slightly as he swung higher and higher, almost kicking the leaves that dangled from the long branch of a tree that was nearby.

"Me too." Riku turned to look at his friend and gripped the metal holding him up a little tighter. "Sora… I don't want to harp, but could you tell me what happened back there? I'm still worried about you." Riku took the time to ask, since it hadn't stopped bothering him. He had stopped swinging and Sora slowly copied the movement until his shoes skidded on the ground below him, and he came to a slow stop. Riku bit his lip because of the suddenness of his question, but there wasn't really any other time to bring it up again after this.

"Riku, I… Earlier, when I told you about The Magazine and my mum and then meeting Tifa… She just reminded me of my mother and I just cracked a little. It was just me being stupid and sentimental. That's all." With that said, he began to move back and forth again while Riku glared at the grass at his feet. Fighting to hold back a growl, Riku shifted off of his swing and moved in front of Sora. When the brunet shouted and closed his eyes, Riku grabbed the metal bars and stopped the swing without hurting Sora, even though he had to stagger backwards a bit. But Sora was stopped and in front of him and that's what he'd wanted.

"What?" Sora looked up at Riku, whose slightly irritated features hovered a few feet above his own. Sora's brows furrowed, but Riku thought he looked more tired than angry.

"You tell me things like that and what else can I do but want know? Want to help you? I can't do that if you don't _talk_ to me." Sora turned his head away stubbornly and Riku frowned. He touched his forehead and sighed. He was just as exhausted as Sora, if not a little more.

"Riku, nothing's bothering me. _Seriously_. I told you, she just reminded me of my mum. Now, get out of the way." Riku stared into the brunet's eyes for a moment, and then stepped to the side.

"Stubborn," the silver-haired male spoke under his breath as he dropped back onto his own seat. '_Does he not want my help?'_ Riku pondered as his gaze lifted to the sky, wanting instead to look into the similar irises of his friend.

"All right… It's getting a bit cold. Do you think we should go?" The brunet jumped off of his swing in midair and glanced back to his friend after his feet hit the ground. Riku laughed a bit, happy that Sora was at least smiling now.

"Not just yet. There's this one place Kairi told me about. It's just a bit farther in this direction. She said there's this really huge tree—'It's perfect for picnics and the scenery is _gorgeous_,' is how she phrased it." The brunet folded his arms behind his back and swayed his hips back and forth as he walked. Riku stared, wondering if he was doing that on purpose—because it was driving him mad.

"You want to have a picnic?" Riku snickered at the notion, but he blinked when Sora's eyes lit up and he nodded, his features wistful as he drummed his fingers over his stomach.

"I am getting hungry. Have you forgotten that I only ate this morning at the café? A picnic sounds glorious." Riku let go of the swing's chain and stood up, stretching out until he heard his joints pop. Now that he'd thought about it, he hadn't eaten anything either.

"Well… I can't say we're set for today, but I'll hold you to that." Riku smiled, his teeth showing. Sora shrugged, shaking his head lightly.

"It's a promise then. Who knows, maybe we'll be free next week? I'll just be glad with going to see the place for right now." Riku nodded, but he knew that Sora was a bit disappointed. Even if he didn't show it, Riku knew how he worked by now.

"Sure thing." His hand snaked its way into the younger's hair and he ruffled the silky locks there. Sora's eyes lidded and he tried not to let on that he enjoyed the touch too much.

"So where to, Oh, tour guide extraordinaire?" Despite the harmless snark, Riku was anxious to see this place also—if Kairi was right, this was perfect because he really needed some inspiration for his landscape paintings. Sora noticed his friend being quiet and took the time to search his face to try and see what he was thinking. He was a little unsure, so he just elbowed his friend and pointed in front of them.

"It's not too far from here. I sort of remember how Kairi told me to get there. You can keep up, can't you?" Sora challenged, and began to walk forward after mentioned for his friend to follow. Riku made a noise of mock-offence and caught up easily. They walked in a comfortable silence afterwards.

"Hey, about earlier. You're… You're okay? I mean, are you mad that I—" Riku started, trailing off when Sora looked at him seriously. That wasn't very reassuring. "I know it's none of my business and you may not want my help, but I care about you, Sora. I just…want to see you happy. Or something. Feel free to tell me I'm retarded." Riku tried miserably, desperate to start and hold a conversation, seeing as the brunet had been rather quiet after they left. Sora shook his head, but now looked thoughtful. Or maybe it was embarrassed.

"I'm not mad. I can't be, when all you've done is care. I'm feeling the exact opposite, I—" The brunet winced at the truth he unconsciously started spouting, and started to walk faster. "I'm glad." His face felt hot, so he couldn't let Riku see him like this. He'd shone too many weird expressions today, and he didn't need to give his friend another one to worry about.

"Sora?"

Curiosity sparking up, Riku couldn't help follow him closely. "Hey," he spoke softly, reaching out to touch his friend's shoulder. "Are you sure?" Riku questioned and turned Sora around, their shoulders bumping because of how close they were walking to each other. Sora inhaled, his breaths starting to grow heavy. He was nervous, but Riku couldn't figure out why.

"I'm sure," Sora whispered and then chuckled at the defeat written on Riku's face.

"Fine, fine. I'll stop bugging now." Riku murmured and stuffed his hand in the pockets of his jeans. "So where is this place? I thought we'd be there by now."

"Huh?" Sora asked curiously, and Riku glanced at the ground as they ducked through some bushes and drooping tree branches.

"Oh!" The teen lifted his gaze, forgetting about their previous conversation once he saw what surprised the brunet. Sora was looking in front of them, at the lake and the trees and short walkways centered along it. It was beautiful—he'd never seen quite so many flowers or trees in such perfect patterns. This seemed like an entirely different place, what with the forest behind them being so ordinary.

"That answer your question?" Sora laughed when Riku looked speechless. "This is…the Furry Glen? Don't laugh. I'm pretty sure that's what she had called it."

Riku nodded. Kairi sure had an eye for breathtaking spots.

The scene before them was definitely relaxing. Riku grinned and took Sora's hand, leading him towards one of the larger trees. It was a bit secluded, but something about the isolation drew Riku towards it. Upon closer inspection, the ground was littered with fallen petals from the flowers which had sprouted on the branches. Sora's awestruck expression to the scenery made him laugh. Riku was used to these sights, as he hunted them down regularly for his works. This child-like wonder of Sora's was new for him, though.

The warm, autumn air swirled around but surprisingly did not make either them uncomfortable; it instead, tickled over their skin lightly and Riku closed his eyes. They were under the tree now, secluded from the main path, but that suited him just fine.

"Riku, this place is..." Riku's eyes flicked to Sora's face and he turned so that he was facing away from the tree and looked towards the lake.

"It's incredible, isn't it? I wonder how Kairi even found this place." Riku watched Sora nod and place a hand on the smooth bark.

"This is why I love it out here. I come here to get away from it all, you know? There's something really peaceful about being out here. It's also beautiful." The silver-haired male couldn't take his eyes away as Sora stood there with a peaceful expression on his face, holding his hands out against the tree the wind blew petals down onto his head and shoulders. Sora laughed at shook them off.

'_Not nearly as gorgeous as you are.'_

Riku had wanted to say those words aloud, just to see the reaction he'd get. He ultimately decided against it as Sora walked to stand in front of him. Sora looked up at him. His face was carefully neutral, and Riku thought he looked more mature than he'd seen him. It was strange—not bad—to see him so serious.

"Hey… Are you really having fun?" Riku stared down at the suddenly nervous brunet and decided to reach out to grab his hand. They'd done that a lot recently, so he figured one more time wouldn't hurt. There was something about the look Sora was giving him that made him nervous in return. He wasn't sure why, but he couldn't hold that gaze when those eyes were trained on him.

"Of course, Sora. I thought I already said that," Riku held back a laugh as his friend flashed a goofy smile.

"It's just difficult. Finding someone who shares your joy over such small things like this, I mean. I get teased a lot, because the simplest things make me so happy. But you're not like that; you understand." Riku looked surprised at this until Sora turned to face him, visibly showing his gratitude.

"Thanks. For all of this. It means a lot."

"You're welcome." Riku looked down, at a loss for words. So instead of showing his own gratitude with words, he let his thumb trail over the skin on his friend's hand. Sora shivered a bit and hid his glowing cheeks before he moved to sit down on the ground. The petals still clung to the grass stubbornly, but he picked at a few of them and twirled them between his fingers. He was the very picture of content. Riku simply watched him.

"What are you doing?" The older inquired, raising an eyebrow as he watched his friend make himself comfortable among the blossoms.

"It's already getting late. I figure I can get a good view of the stars here, so I want to wait," he explained with a look in Riku's direction, watching him carefully. He smiled when Riku also situated himself on the ground.

"That sounds like _tons_ of lazy fun," Riku grinned, but didn't seem to be against the idea. "Mind if I join?" The brunet took a moment to gaze at his friend and he chuckled as his hand drifted out to grab the stray petal that was caught in Riku's hair.

"No. This spot is reserved for me and me only. Go home." Sora teased, his eyebrows rising together this time. "What do you think, man? I wouldn't have it any other way." It took the two a few moments to get relaxed as they spread out over the grass as best they could.

While looking up at the gradient colours in the sky, both males realized how easy it was to fall into a comfortable silence. Neither said a word until they were under the now-revealed stars—that suited them fine. But after a while Sora started to fidget, needing to break the quiet even for a second.

"You know, all this talk has been about me. But I don't know that much about you, Riku. Outside of your hobbies and stuff. What's your family like? Any siblings? What about your friends in America? Did… Do you have a girlfriend?" The brunet eventually questioned his friend. Riku rolled onto his side and propped himself up with his elbow, caught off guard by the myriad of questions shot his way. Whenever the brunet's eyes met his, Riku suddenly grew considerably apprehensive.

"Well…" The older male thought for a moment on his choice of words, "My family is nuts. I have a younger sister. I still keep in touch with a few friends via email and messenger. As for a girlfriend," the brunet watched his friend's pale lips move and he suddenly felt anxious. He couldn't help but feel envious of whoeverwould captured the older male's heart. But he focused on Riku and not the way he felt anxious when the other continued, "I don't have one, no. Single and free at the moment." Riku finally sighed, trying not to give too much away. He had said those last few words a bit tightly, instead of jokingly like he'd wanted.

Sora stared at the sky while he thought about his friend's words. Single and free… It shouldn't have made him so relieved and hopeful, really. But he couldn't deny that was what he was feeling. He'd been so expecting Riku to have someone back home, or even someone in Dublin that he liked. Sora licked his lips and played with a few blades of grass at his side. He had to wonder why Riku was being so guarded, but he let it go so that he wouldn't come across as being nosy.

"Single and free, huh? That's one way of putting it, but…it's also lonely. I think it is, anyway." Riku twisted onto his back again and let his eyes slip shut. He knew that all too well. He'd spent most of his time alone, so Sora's words really hit home.

"You get used to it, but when you start falling for someone, you start to feel that less and less. It's not so bad." Riku smiled and opened his eyes. Sora had swallowed, sitting up onto his elbows slightly as he tried not to look as interested as he was. Riku didn't seem to notice, so he was clear.

"Does that mean that you've fallen for someone?" Sora asked, unable to hide the insurmountable curiosity in his voice. He flushed slightly when Riku met his gaze and parted his lips.

"I have." Was all he managed. It was only recently, but there was no doubt in his mind that Sora would see through him if he said that. It should have made him scared that he was dancing around the subject with _Sora_ of all people, but he felt calm. Actually, he wanted to laugh at the irony. There was something about Sora's eyes that changed that, however, so he sat up as well.

"Oh…?" Sora sounded surprised, but he covered it well. "Well, that makes two of us," he whispered. Riku didn't appear to hear him, so Sora just rolled onto his side and smiled. At Riku's baffled look, he laughed and nodded towards the sky. It was getting hard to see each other, but the light of Riku's eyes was all the needed.

"It's even greater out here at night." Riku spoke quietly. He was still on his back, but he turned to look at his friend. Sora had been watching him silently before he even turned his head, so he had to quickly look elsewhere.

"Yeah. Have you ever stayed like this, just watching the stars?" Sora asked softly and Riku's lips tug into a smile. Sora watched them for a moment to long—to the point where he was eternally grateful that Riku hadn't seen him in the dark.

"No, actually, I haven't really thought about doing something like this. I wouldn't be against coming back here, though." Riku turned to look at Sora—who after feeling eyes on him, turned his head to stare back. They'd been doing that a lot lately, and Sora wasn't sure what to make of it. He didn't stare at anyone else nearly as much, and he let his hopes rise at that though before he squashed them back down. Of course, he was just being stupid again.

"Then, we should come here more often. It could be like a hang out spot. Somewhere only we know—well, save for Kairi." Sora flopped back against his arms and resumed his stargazing. Somehow he hoped that it could have just been between the two of them. Kairi aside, it would have been nice to share something with Riku, his best friend. It might have made him happy, too.

"Sora." The named male looked over to find that Riku had moved considerably closer. He breathed in and tried to stop his heart from racing before it started. It didn't work, so he hesitated a moment before speaking. He didn't dare move.

"Yeah…?"

"Can you promise me that if you're ever hurting—even the slightest bit—you'll tell me. Can you do that for me?"

Sora had to turn away from the intense look. If Riku kept this up, he wasn't too sure if he would have any will left to hold back. Riku came into his life so suddenly and was changing it and turning it upside-down. Sora couldn't care less, because it was all so wonderful and heart-stopping and how would he ever live without him now? That thought hurt him more than anything.

"I… Y-You're such a sap, Riku" As he spoke, Sora took Riku's hand in his and held it tightly. "But of course I promise. If you do the same, that is." Sora hesitated until he saw Riku nod, "Thank you. You don't know what this means to me."

Sora yawned and after hearing the small noise, the taller male chuckled as he followed the action.

"I'm just returning the favor. I haven't had a friend who saw me for what I am inside, not out. So thanks for befriending me—instead of trying to get me into bed." He muttered the last part a little too bitterly and Sora shot him a confused glance, but he was too tired to ask about it.

"Without you… I… Thanks."

Sora did feel a little guilty though. While he wasn't trying to get him into bed, per say, he still found it impossible to not stare and admire him. Though he admired his personality more than anything, so he figured that was what made Riku happy. How could he not like making him happy? He didn't need to have a romantic relationship with Riku when he already valued their friendship. He _wanted_ to…but that was a little different.

"Ah… I really don't think I have the energy to stay up, Riku." The brunet yawned again and struggled to keep his eyes open, while Riku gave him a lopsided smile.

"It's fine, if you're tired. The worst thing out here is rabbits. And maybe raccoons, but I'll still keep you safe anyway," Riku blinked and chuckled lowly, still holding Sora's hand within his own, entangling their fingers just a bit tighter.

"Thank you, Riku."

With his free hand, the brunet rubbed his eyes and closed them after the warmth spread through him when Riku had smiled at him.

"Goodnight, Sora."

And with that, they both drifted off. Forgetting about everything else outside of the little world they had created together.

…

**END - Chapter 5**

…

* * *

Sapsapsapsap_ohgod_thesap

Well! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, guys ;u; I appreciate it so much, you don't even know 3333 I LOVE YOU GUYS. SO HARD. YOU CAN'T ESCAPE.

Okay. Now that I'm done being creepy, I just want to say that the next chapter will be up in about a week or so. Work and stuff gets in the way, but since I'm just revising and rewriting this story it shouldn't take too long. And I'm not a native of Dublin, obviously, so I apologize for any inconsistencies in history or geography. I try to research as much as possible before I write, but I get messed up sometimes OTL

So yeah. Thank you so much~!  
Now… Off to be lazy and watch No. 6 /o/

**OH YEAH. I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS USED IN THIS STORY: SQUARE-ENIX DOES**. …lucky bastards.

Herp derp. Riku and Sora totally forgot that they had classes the next morning. Losers.


	6. And suddenly you're all I need

..…..

**Be My Last**

**- Chapter 6 -**

..…..

* * *

_~  
The dead stop dreaming  
We'll set ablaze this life  
You're shadow keeps me bright_

So try and stop me  
Or suffocate this light  
Because I can burn all night

Until, my heart stops beating  
You'll never hear me say:  
"I'm breaking down!"

* * *

..…..

The cold morning breeze brought with it a whirlwind of memories of the previous night.

Memories that Sora just wanted to forget already.

It was early and the desire for sleep was heavily outweighing his desire to get up; because he hoped a little more sleep would do him some good for once. The breeze that chilled his skin told him to do otherwise, however.

"Mmn."

Sora took a moment to let his tired eyes flutter open and was immediately met with a soft, dark fabric. When he pulled back and adjusted his eyes to the light, he gasped—because apparently sometime during the night, Riku had taken him into his arms tightly. Now didn't _this_ give him a sense of déjà vu.

With a quiet whimper, the brunet tried to wiggle out of the embrace carefully. He didn't want to disturb Riku from his sleep, but the older male just stirred slightly and wrapped his arms more securely around the brunet. Sora adjusted his body so that Riku's arms were around him from under his arms—that way he could place his hands on his friend's chest. He thought about pushing away, knowing that if Riku woke up there would be a hell of a lot of explaining and subsequent awkwardness, but he didn't. That wasn't enough of a threat to turn him away.

"Sora…" Riku groaned under his breath and said a few more things Sora couldn't quite understand. He was too distracted by Riku's breath hitting his face to notice his friend murmuring anything anyway. It didn't even matter that Riku's hands were resting down at the hem of his shirt; he could see every pore of the other's face at this distance.

'_So close__!'_

Riku was so close…that if he stole a kiss, no one would know. That stray thought did not sit well with Sora, though, because secretly conveying his feelings just didn't seem fair. Or authentic, if Riku wasn't awake to consent to the action. Besides, he knew Riku didn't feel the same way, so he swore the urge of altogether. But that didn't mean that it disappeared entirely.

Getting away from the discouraging thoughts, the brunet inhaled and closed his eyes as he curled back into the warm, embracing arms. To hell with it all. Sora couldn't bring himself to care about the consequences with Riku's peaceful face inches from his own. It would be easy play it off no matter what since they were technically sleeping when it happened. And Riku had pulled _him_ into his arms, not the other way around. He wasn't the one at fault this time!

"I could…get used to this." He laughed quietly, still snuggling close to the other male and his hands twisted in his shirt, pulling himself closer.

Riku made a noise and Sora panicked for a moment, thinking that Riku had heard him. But then the older groaned and rolled over so that he was almost completely on top of Sora.

"O-Oh_ God…!"_ Sora squirmed due to lack of air flowing into his lungs and gasped, "Riku…!" When he received no response, his cerulean orbs roll in their sockets and he twisted his fingers in the back of Riku's shirt. His friend was still obviously asleep and unaware that he as crushing the life out of his younger friend. Sora tried to push him to the side, but his arm was at an odd angle, so it stung a little. Riku wasn't budging.

"Oh for the love of..."

Riku sighed. His breath ticked Sora' neck and the brunet wanted to cry.

'_I can't take this anymore!'_

Sora tried to slip out of Riku's grasp—mainly because he felt his lungs constricting—but the silver-haired male's dead weight was making that very difficult. The most he managed to do without waking his friend was slip out from underneath him and wiggle to the side a few inches. Riku's arms never left him—even if he only had one arm around his shoulder now.

Sora wished this could be a consensual everyday thing, no matter how silly he felt for thinking that way. He wouldn't deny it; he liked waking up in someone's arms for a change. It beat the hell out of waking up alone in more ways than he could count. This made him think: How long had it been since he'd woken up alone? The past few days he'd been with Riku… It was the face he was now looking at that greeted him every morning and made his heart soar and constrict at the same time.

Riku was changing him.

Lately everything else just seemed to pale in comparison with the way Riku made him feel.

"Would you understand if I told you?" Sora asked quietly, touching Riku's cheek as gently as he could. Riku always understood him. He wasn't sure why he was so afraid of _this_ and why it felt like he'd be abandoned.

With a small groan and yawn, Riku's eyes blinked open slowly and it took him a moment to focus on the blissfully content boy in his arms. While he did that, Sora was too busy daydreaming to notice his friend's eyes squinting and trying to figure out what he was looking at.

"…Sora?" Riku blinked once more as he stared down into his friend's clear eyes. Their position did not change until Riku pushed himself up onto his forearms so that he was hovering over Sora. The younger blinked up at him, confused. Riku opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came up and Sora laughed.

"It's about time. I thought you were going to crush the life out of me. My life flashed before my eyes, I tell ya." Sora laughed, but his eyes were lidded and he looked content with staring up at his friend. Riku didn't want to move, but he reacted to Sora's words.

"I could've crushed you, Sora. Why didn't you wake me?" Sora's chuckle made Riku groan and run a hand through his silver tresses before he settled back onto his rear on the ground. He grimaced at the dampness from the grass, but let it go when Sora spoke.

"You're not that much bigger than me, you know? And it was okay… I figured you needed the rest after all the stress I put you through yesterday." Sora shrugged lightly, sitting up. He gave Riku a smile before fiddling with his hands in his lap. Riku didn't want Sora to feel bad first thing in the morning, so he dropped the subject and dug into his pocket for his phone.

"You're such a sap," he teased, ruffling Sora's head as he waited for his cell to power on. When it did, he gazed at the time and date and paled. "Damn" Riku shouted, making Sora jump slightly.

"What's wrong?" The older male rose to his feet and turned to grab Sora's hands, pulling him up also. Sora staggered to his feet, but threw Riku a confused look.

"It's already quarter to eleven! I've got classes early today. Dammit, I completely forgot." The silver haired teen placed a hand to his forehead while Sora chewed on his lower lip.

"We should go, Riku. My classes start at—" The brunet was cut off when Riku broke into a sprint, still grasping Sora's hands as he called, "Here, follow me!"

It wasn't like he was giving the brunet much of a choice…

The two sped back through the fields and friend towards the park's exit, biting his lip when the brunet began to struggle to keep up. The poor brunet inhaled rapidly and tried to bear with the burning of his lungs until they finally reached Riku's car. The drive back seemed shorter than the drive down the day before. For that, they were grateful.

"Okay… Here we are, finally. Sorry it took this long." Riku apologized breathlessly from having to sprint through the building, getting his keys out to unlock the door and helped the tired brunet inside. "Sorry about that, Sora," he apologized again, but his friend raised a hand to dismiss his worry, muttering something about never oversleeping if it was going to lead to exercise.

"I'm going to go take a quick shower. You can get one after I do, if you want? Make yourself at home until I'm done." Riku stopped in the doorway and looked back at his friend, "I'll look for some clothes that might fit you. Does that sound okay?" Riku slipped out of his shirt and turned to look at Sora for his answer. When Sora looked dumbfounded, he asked him again.

"H-Huh? Oh, yeah. I smell like grass." Sora grimaced as he looked down at his close, listening to Riku laugh and disappear through his bedroom door. Well that had been a close call. One more second of staring and Riku probably would have caught on. Sora was rather surprised that he still hadn't—he wasn't exactly good at keeping his attraction hidden. But he was trying, damn it.

Sora had been reclining on the sofa when his eyes flicked around the room, the curiosity building inside of him caused him to rise once again. He'd only seen a handful or Riku's artwork and with it displayed out before him, he decided to browse around. He walked around the flat, looking through some of Riku's paintings. He was jealous of the quality of his friend's work. Clearly, he spent several hours with his paintings and drawings. Sora didn't have the patience to add that kind of detail…

'_He really likes to draw people and landscapes_,' he thought with a warm smile.

There were pictures of forests and waterfalls and a few realistic sketches of ordinary people mixed in here and there. Sora exhaled loudly as he walked to the corner of the room, where a great deal of blank canvases rested on top of each other. Though, the tarp that draped over one of the easels stacked in between the wall and a small, wooden filing cabinet caught his attention.

"What could he be hiding?" Sora asked, amused. He failed to notice the footsteps from behind as he crouched down and his hand reached for the fabric.

"What are you doing?" The brunet gasped and jumped in surprise, clutching his chest as he spun around to see his friend's anxious face.

'_Shit! He caught me being nosy…' _

_"_Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Riku gave his friend and uneasy smile and moved to stand in front of the protected easel.

"I'd like to keep the cover on this one…so please don't take it off just yet." He smiled and handed the brunet a pair of his large clothes, "Your turn." He watched the brunet to smile before he reluctantly turned away to take a quick shower.

"Okay. Be right out." Sora closed the bathroom door behind him and let his fingers linger on the handle's cold metal. His mind was still occupied on the covered painting as he undressed and slipped into the bathtub, slowly turning the clear knob on the tiled shower and he waited until he found the right temperature. Immediately, all the tension in his body dissipated as the water massaged his body. Sora moaned through closed lips—mainly out of gratitude. He was in Riku's shower after all.

But then that damn painting came to mind again.

'_What could it be? Why am I letting this bother me so much?' _Sora shook his head, the droplets of water flying free. Just as quick as he'd gotten in the shower, he hopped out and dried off. As expected, the borrowed clothes were a few sizes too big and he reluctantly slipped out into the living room, where the silver-haired artist chuckled when he ran his gaze over the brunet.

"Looks good on you," Riku said trying to mask another chuckle.

"Maybe if you stopped eating so much, you wouldn't have to buy such big clothes." Sora looked at Riku's furrowed brows and laughed. "Relax, I know you eat like a bird. It's your _exercise_ that we have to work on. Sitting at an easel all day is just not acceptab—"

Riku cut him off as he grabbed Sora and put him in a headlock, laughing when the brunet tapped at his forearm to get him off.

"Is this acceptable exercise?" Riku asked, letting Sora struggle to break free. When he laughed and pulled away, Riku was unable to stop himself from reaching out to him again. By the time he realized what he was doing, he knew it was too late to take back. His hand froze midair, an inch away from Sora's cheek and he inhaled. Instead, he ran his fingers through Sora's hair and smiled.

"Your hair is still untamable even when it's wet." Riku spoke, grateful for the cover. If he kept caressing Sora's face they way he'd been recently, there was no way he'd be able to talk himself out of that. He had no excuse this time either since Sora wasn't crying.

"Yeah. Can't…do anything with it." Sora seemed distracted as he answered. Riku noticed, but this was a dangerous situation he was leading himself into, so he turned and looked at the clock.

"I guess there's no point in trying to make it on time. They should just be happy that we show up at all." Riku sighed. Sora looked at the clock as well and groaned.

"Yeah. We show up half an hour late and I look like a hobo. They're nice clothes, but with them falling off, they're clearly not mine. I just hope Kairi doesn't notice that they're yours…" At his worried expression, Riku chuckled and slid back onto the sofa after he retrieved his shoes.

"I wouldn't put it past her. But why? Is there something wrong with my clothes?" Riku lifted a delicate eyebrow with a smirk growing across his face once he saw a small twinge of pink dust over Sora's. The clothes weren't exactly falling off of him, but they were clearly a few sizes too big. He looked like he was either borrowing them—which he was—or he was trying to be a gangster.

At this thought, Riku almost lost it.

"N-No, not really. Kairi's just…_Kairi_. You wouldn't understand the things that go on inside her head. It's a scary place. Believe me." Sora stated, and his friend smiled at the tinkling laughter that followed his statement.

"Is that so? I'm pretty sure I don't need to know then. Thanks for the warning." Riku said, his chuckles making his body shake a bit, "We should get going." After this was said, Sora pulled the long white, oversized shorts up and fixed the collar on Riku's striped polo shirt and went to slip on his own shoes.

With a soft groan, Riku stretched and marched to the door, opening it and standing to the side. "Shall we?" He stuck his hand out for Sora to grab.

The brunet glanced at the offered limb and smiled. "Let's go."

..…..

..…..

After taking Riku's car and driving [read: speeding] to school, they both sprinted for their class, not wanting to be any later. It was out of sheer luck that they both had the same class at the same time, so their course was a straight shot. This saved the time they were already running out of.

When the two barged through the door, their professor lifted his brows when his eyes rested on their entwined hands, and he cleared his throat as his gaze made it to their faces.

"…Good morning. I'm flattered that you're so excited about the class that you have to rush here. Just please don't break my door next time, okay?" Riku and Sora exchanged glances after their professor waved a hand at them to be seated. All eyes were on them, and Sora fidgeted.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to resume where I left off." The man smiled as he shooed the teens to their seats and then muttered to himself as he went to the front of the room to lecture, leaving Riku to pull Sora towards the isle until the two separated to take their seats.

"Hey, Sora." Kairi greeted with a chuckle as Sora hurried to take a spot in the empty seat at the table in front of her. The brunet groaned, knowing what question was going to arise as her eyes studied his body.

"So… Riku's clothes."

_Bingo_. That had hardly taken as long as he thought it would. In hindsight, he probably should have saved himself some embarrassment and thought of an _response_—but even though he'd seen it coming, he had none.

"I… That's not the point. We were out late last night—" He stopped midsentence because of the look Kairi was sending him. "W-We went to the park and found that…glen thing you were talking about."

Kairi interrupted her friend with a delighted laugh, "Oh, that's great! I knew you'd go for yourself to see how beautiful it is. A friend of mine, Aqua, told me about it during ecology and we checked it out last weekend. Apparently it's the perfect date spot." The redhead grinned at the brunet's protestant look, but his red stained cheeks didn't do much to deny her suspicions. She stared at him for a few moments and when his eyes slowly and _almost _unnoticeably trailed over to Riku, she rolled her eyes. Subtlety, thy name was not Sora.

"We didn't even do much, Kairi. We just stargazed and—" Kairi leaned forward and placed her hand up against Sora's mouth and he furrowed his brows as he saw her eyes glowing. She was also biting her lip. Sora thought that was okay, because it was the only thing keeping her from talking. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what she would have said. The less he knew what went on in her mind, the more embarrassment he saved himself from.

"You can't tell me those things and not expect me to start getting ideas," she whispered that statement because Riku had abandoned his note-taking when Kairi surged forward—her chair had made and awful squeaking noise—and he was now glancing at them from his table only a few seats away.

"It was only stargaz—" Sora stopped and shook his head when Kairi gave him a look. He hated when she did that; she saw right through him. He was beginning to suspect that Kairi had told him about the glen on purpose just so she had another reason to see him squirm. He knew what she was thinking. "You're such a…" Sora was blushing considerably now. Stupid Kairi and her stupid fantasies. They were sort of contagious, because he couldn't stop replaying the events that happened in the morning. Every detail of Riku's face was still fresh in his mind.

When Kairi didn't say anything further, Sora made eye contact and his brows furrowed once again.

"Kairi…please. I don't need a reason to get my hopes up. I don't think I could handle it. It won't work." Sora spoke low, but there was something inside his voice that made Kairi look down at her hands. She hadn't wanted… She didn't know.

"Sora," She paused reaching for his hand. It was a gesture they had done even as kids, so Sora found it comforting as he reached for her hand and grasped it. "You know I would never lie to you. I don't think this is something you should be afraid of. Riku's… He loves you. You know you two have something special." Kairi pulled her hand away suddenly and reached into her bag and started rummaging through its contents. She bit her lip, sighing when she had noticed Riku's eyes straying over towards them. Surely, he had gotten the wrong idea from that.

"_Kairi_—"

"Listen to me. I know you've got a lot of self-doubt right now, but—look at me." Sora had turned away, trying his best not to search for a pair of teal irises, and pressed his lips together before he turned back to his red-haired friend. She was looking at him seriously. He knew that she was just trying so hard to see him happy, as she often told him such, but it was only hurting that much worse. He wasn't a child anymore—love was more complicated than the days they used to sit around giggling at every 'cute' boy that would happen by. Because while that wasn't serious, this _was_.

"_Look_. I see the way he looks at you. I know you might be scared, but you do understand that this is all new for you. You've never been in love before, Sora." Kairi's eyes were shining, and her smile was fond. Sora thought about her words, his vision going slightly blurry as he stared at his friend. He quickly dabbed at his eyes and swatted his hand at her when she giggled and pinched his cheek.

"Who… When did I ever say I was in love?" Sora spoke in a hushed tone after he glanced over his shoulder at their professor, glad he was still writing on the huge, white board. Kairi said nothing, but her look conveyed what Sora pretty much knew all she had wanted to. He inhaled, instinctively moving his eyes towards Riku. It took a moment, but Riku must have felt the attention on him, for he looked straight at his brunet friend and managed a small smile. However tiny it was, there was no less emotion in it. Sora flushed, but grinned and lazily waved to him.

"You don't have to. Your actions prove more than you could with your words with these types of things. Just by looking at you, I can tell." She admitted. Sora groaned, a bit panicky.

"Well if _you _can tell, then everybody else can!" He whispered harshly, his cheeks refusing to return to their normal hue. Kairi snorted and held up a hand.

"No offense, but guys are clueless on this subject," she shrugged defensively when Sora made a noise, "Besides; it's only obvious if you're looking for it. I've known you basically forever, so that makes it easier. And besides, while we're talking about this subject, there's someone that is on your mind, isn't there?" She smiled. Sora looked down at his hands as they gripped overt each other at the top of his chair.

"It doesn't matter anyway. With all of my baggage, there's no way Riku would be interested. I'm going to keep this friendship just as it is." Sora swallowed, _'even if it's hard and it hurts like hell sometimes.'_

Sora held his chin up with his hand and Kairi shrugged. "You never know."

"I… Let's talk about something else?" Sora gave Kairi a pleading look and she hesitated before giving a nod. He was grateful for that.

"Anyway, when I was at his house this morning, I finally got a good look at his artwork." Kairi had glanced around him as she started jotting down some notes. She made a noise to prove that she was still listening, so he continued. "You don't get _that_ good just from years of practice. He's seriously talented. There are a crapton of canvases and paint everywhere; it's crazy. Oh, and there was this one easel-thing covered by a tarp or something. Isn't that a bit weird? I wonder why he'd hide it if it was unfinished." Sora's lips pursed, as he watched Kairi's pen scrawl across her notebook paper.

Why would Riku hide a painting from Sora? Kairi smirked because she knew the exact reason; there just didn't seem like anything else that would be so important that even _Sora_wasn't allowed to see it. She tapped her pen against her paper, equally curious now.

"He wouldn't let you see it?" She asked. "It could be something private. Like a portrait of a lover or something. I know a lot of artists that do that." Her tone was mischievous, but she didn't look up.

Sora stared at her and shrugged. "Who knows? He did say he…had fallen for someone once." Kairi idly flicked her wrist and doodled on her notebook page, though her ears were intently listening to her friend's chatter.

"He caught me trying to take a peek, and…hey, what are you doing?" Sora watched Kairi hauled her purse closer and started rummaging through it as she huffed.

"Hmm. I know it's here somewhere. _Aha_," Kairi had a self-satisfied look on her face when she found what she was looking for and laughed to herself.

"And "it" is…?" Sora tried to look in her purse but she pulled it away and closed it.

"Nothing." She said, and then smugly began writing notes down in her notebook.

"Hey, come on, what was that? You don't just zone out on me to look into your bag all secretively." Kairi smiled and just kept taking notes, causing her brunet friend to pout.

"Fine. Be all mysterious. You've gotten me sidetracked enough as it is," he stuck his tongue out and she laughed as he turned back around. Sora tried his best to focus on the lecture and occasionally scribbled in his own notebook, he really did. But for some reason, his eyes couldn't resist wandering to Riku every so often.

After they were excused, Riku caught up with Sora and leaned down closer to him with a smile on his face.

"Hey," his smile widened, "What were you guys talking about all that time? Looked like you were having fun." The silver-haired student placed his hands in his pockets as he asked the question that had irked him for the entire lesson. Sora looked away, feeling his cheeks heat up a small bit. (He really needed to control that.)

"You know, just some random stuff. We still haven't outgrown the habit of talking in class, apparently." Sora laughed, "Oh, and I hope you don't mind, but I told her about your paintings." Riku looked like he didn't, but he scratched his neck with a sigh. This worried Sora and he opened his mouth before Riku spoke.

"Ah… It's fine, since they're really nothing special."

"If you keep being modest, I'm going to tell Kairi that I lied and that you suck. I could give her one of my drawings and tell her you did it. That would instantly kill any street cred you've built up." Sora teased before poking Riku in the stomach.

"Which is next to none at all," Riku laughed, the sound making Sora's heart race. "I still think you're giving me more attention than I deserve. I'm…not very confident about my work, since I'm self-taught, and I do it as mostly a hobby." The teen chuckled at his friend's pout and he shut his eyes.

"Stubborn."

Riku laughed as they stopped in the middle of the walkway, standing underneath one of the trees for shade. "Well, I guess since I'm going this way, I shall escort you to class. You're in building R02 right now, hmm?" Riku extended his arm out chivalrously for Sora to take hold of.

"Yes. You remember better than I do," the brunet snickered. He felt his face heating up however, despite his best efforts, as he reached for Riku's arm. He slipped his own around it and nodded.

"Riku!" Both of them turned to see Kairi walking their way with an apologetic look on her face.

"Hey, what's up?" Sora managed as she stopped in front of them and smiled. He inwardly cursed as he forced himself to let go of Riku and tried to keep his face free of the disappointment he felt.

"Hey Sora. Can I borrow Riku for a sec?" At her question, Sora's confused expression gradually wore off and he shrugged.

"Yeah… Okay? You don't need to ask me, you know." When Sora opened his mouth to speak again, Kairi pulled Riku away and glanced back at him, "Sor, you can just go to your class so you won't be late." She called over her shoulder and pulled the taller boy away.

"Okay." Sora gripped the strap on his shoulder and shuffled his bag as he turned to leave. Something inside him felt strained, and he tried to tell himself it wasn't jealousy. Why would he be jealous of his best friend? Kairi… He was just being stupid. But as he looked at Kairi holding onto the same arm he'd been only moments ago, something in his chest squeezed.

Sora was still uneasy, though, as he walked to his last class and sat through it. He was a mess. His head started spinning and he could no longer control his thoughts. What if they wanted to start dating? What if they started getting closer and forgot about him? Sora didn't know how he would feel if his two friends had run off without him.

"This is stupid…"

An hour later, when the brunet was dismissed, he walked toward the building's exit while still unaware of the small frown planted his face until a hand tapped his shoulder. He turned around quickly to face a flash of silver hair and stunning green eyes.

"Eeh? _Y-You!_ Don't scare me like that, man!" Riku looked down at his friend guiltily, his silver brows furrowing despite how he tried to smile.

"I'm sorry, Sora," his smile grew more apologetic and Sora squeezed his hands into fists at his sides. Riku looked so attractive standing there under the late afternoon sunlight.

Sora smiled and reassuringly touched his friend's shoulder, "Hey, no big deal." The brunet noticed a slight change in his friend's movements—they seemed almost apprehensive and cautious. He felt his palms start to sweat and the one around his bag strap tightened considerably. Just what had he and Kairi talked about? He trusted her with his life, but with Riku acting this way, he knew something was wrong.

"Is… Is there something you need, Riku?" When Riku glanced down at his shoes and cleared his throat, cursing his nervous vocal cords, Sora felt his heart drop.

"Would…Uh, would you want to go see a movie with me?"

And then it roared to life within his chest once again.

"Wha?"

Riku stuffed his hands in his pockets and coughed lightly while Sora blinked at the question. "I mean, if you don't want to, it's cool and all, but I just thought that if you were bored or have absolutely nothing else to do then maybe we could hang and stuff and oh god, I'm so lame—" Riku's face progressively got more red as he continued to rant, his brows furrowing as he glared down at his feet. Sora was too busy watching his reactions and trying to get his brain to process a proper response.

Riku… He hadn't just asked him on a date. Had he?

"That sounds great." Sora agreed, hoping that he didn't sound as eager as he thought he did. Riku visibly relaxed once he caught sight of the brunet's smile. There was also the faint trace of red under his eyes, so that was a good sign.

"Great. Awesome. Gnarly, bro." Sora snorted, hitting Riku in his side as the older grinned and slid his arm around Sora's shoulder. His expression sobered. "I kind of figured it would be good for you to relax and have a bit of fun. Take your mind of things."

Sora looked up at Riku, his lips parted and his eyes suddenly filled with emotion. Riku took a considerably amount of pride knowing that he held himself back from leaning down and stealing a kiss.

"Thank you. I mean it. I… I can't wait." Sora smiled and drew in a breath as he wrapped an arm around Riku's waist—he hoped that the older male thought of it as him returning the amicable pseudo-hug. Riku didn't seem to think anything of it, as he grinned and began to guide them along as they walked.

Riku's thoughts strayed to Kairi and he was eternally grateful for her random burst of encouragement. While he considered this a date in his mind—'_I'm so twisted'_—it was still easy to write off as nothing more than a trip to the movies with his best friend. He was really fine with either, because spending time with Sora, no matter what they were doing, was more than enough.

"Same here. So is there any particular time you want to go?" Riku asked, thanking heavens that he could finally speak without faltering. Sora tapped his finger on his lips as he thought.

"Hmm... Why don't we go tonight since I don't have much work to do? I can write up my essay and then we can head out after my shift. Sound good?"

"Flawless. Since I was planning on going to the café to finish some sketches anyway, I'll just stick around until then." Riku scratched the back of his head and inhaled slowly. "Do you have any idea what you want to see?"

"Nothing…horror-ish. I still have trouble sleeping after that last one." Sora freely admitted, hugging himself. "So much trouble," he said as he stared off at something in the distance. The look on his face was priceless.

"Should I get you a nightlight?" Riku laughed and earned a glare after he ruffled the brunet's spiky tresses.

"Not cool, man. It's hard for me to even take a shower!" Sora batted his friend's hand away playfully and sifted through his mind for ideas.

"Okay, okay. How about a comedy, then?" Riku suggested and Sora shook his head as his lips pursed.

"How about a romantic comedy?" Riku grinned at the other's suggestion, finding that the idea fit Sora perfectly, "Like the chick flicks?" Sora made a point to look away from Riku's lopsided grin, and he flushed. Not liking where that was going, Sora shook his head.

"Why is this always so difficult…? Agh, I'll just see what's playing later." Riku picked through his mind for ideas, but ultimately he just ended up agreeing with the shorter brunet. "Let's just get to the shop before I have the urge to skip work all together."

Sora could deny it later, but he walked a little faster than normal after he parted ways with his friend—who went to his car in order to go home and get his supplies. Sora was content with walking. His feet carried him to the café in less than ten minutes after he left Riku, but he surprised even himself when he showed up early. His breath fell short and he realized that he had walked faster than he normally did, the anticipation getting to him.

"Heya…" Sora panted, waving to his other coworkers halfheartedly. Kairi lifted a delicate eyebrow as she stared at him while he stood in the doorway, clearly winded.

"Hey. You're early." Kairi spoke, awestruck. "Oh, before I forget, are you free later?"

Sora looked at her for a moment and bit his lip slightly. Why the sudden inquiry on his plans? He desperately hoped she hadn't wanted him to do anything that interrupted his…what could he call it? '_Date'_ was out because Riku obviously wanted to go as friends. 'Quality time' sounded all right for this occasion. Sora just figured he'd go with their 'not a date.'

"I do have some plans for later, why?" Kairi reached behind the counter and picked up a stirrer to mix the coffee and smiled.

"That's actually perfect. Lucky for you, Nami told me she needs extra hours and would take your shift if you wanted a break today. You don't even need to clock-in." Sora looked at her in surprise. '_This is convenient_.'

"That's convenient." Riku vocalized the brunet's thoughts, making him jump. That had certainly been fast. Sora blanched, glancing over his shoulder to find Riku looking at Kairi with a secret smile. He didn't seem to have the materials he had supposedly left to get. This was no longer relevant, because it only took him a moment to look down at Sora and flash a lopsided grin. "I guess we can go to the movies earlier, huh?"

"Oh? You guys are going to see a movie?" Kairi questioned in an overly-curious tone and Riku looked at her before he palmed his forehead. If she was trying to be subtle, she was failing. But there was something about her tone that made Riku believe she _wanted_ to let them know she knew. He coughed and guided Sora up to the counter to take a seat.

"Yup," Sora confirmed and glanced around for the short blonde female (whom he wanted to thank the moment he saw her.) Naminé always was a sweetheart.

"So, like a date?" Kairi asked with an eloquent smile, making Sora gasp and Riku choke on his spit. Sora turned towards his friend, worried, and patted him on the back soothingly.

"_Kairi!_ We just want to hang out. Right, Riku?" Riku glanced at Kairi's smile and then Sora's flushed face. "Right?" Sora asked again, and Riku's eyes widened slightly at his desperate tone. Somehow hearing Sora protest that way made him cringe.

"Right… We should go check what time some movies are showing." Riku muttered, feeling oddly rejected.

Selphie took this moment to poke her head through the kitchen door, smiling when her eyes rested on her two friends.

"Hola, Sora~ Oh, Riku's here too! Hey, wait a minute." Her eyes squinted and her lips pursed. "Are those Riku's clothes?" Kairi laughed and Selphie joined when Sora took his silver-haired friend by the hand and led him out of the shop. Even without seeing him, they knew his face was ten shades of red by now.

"Say. Kairi, what are you going to do if the boss finds out you gave him the day off? Are you covering for him?" Selphie questioned the redhead as she slinked out of the kitchen area.

"Don't worry; it's not that hard to come up with an excuse—plus Naminé really did want the extra hours. Those two are going to have a good time, so it's all worth it." Kairi smiled and Selphie happily nodded in agreement. The brunette ran her hand around the plastic cup she'd filled with iced-tea and sighed.

"You're so good at playing matchmaker, you know?" When Kairi laughed at this, Selphie looked out the window, still seeing Sora and Riku in the distance. "It's too bad we couldn't go spy on them." The brunette sighed and her redheaded friend paused a moment, her hand resting on her chin thoughtfully. Slowly, very slowly, a smile etched itself onto her face.

Kairi's eyes lit up.

"Hey… Selphie… Want to go see a movie?"

.….

* * *

.….

"In hindsight…" Riku paused for dramatic effect. "We probably should have decided what we were going to see beforehand."

Riku was clearly nervous as he glanced over his shoulder to see the irritated stares of the people in line behind the two.

"I know, I'm sorry! I wasn't given much of a choice with those two!" The brunet whispered back as he browsed through the list of movies. All that seemed to be playing was action movies or horror. And a random romance film—or what sounded like one.

"How about…"_Up_"?"

"It honestly doesn't matter to me. Let's just get tickets and go before they lynch us," Riku answered quickly, eager to get away from the threatening glares and hisses he heard at the rear of the line. They both stared at the display picture of the movie.

"I'm not sure what it's about, Riku. It just looks like another kids movie—" Sora chewed on his fingernail and glanced down from the display to see Riku already getting the tickets. Then he was being dragged into the theater, and he could have sworn he heard applause just before the doors shut and they were standing in the lobby.

"I guess we'll just have to find out. Those animated films are always nice, I guess." Riku concluded with a smile and his friend nodded, blinking when he could still hear cheering behind them. Sora sighed, but the he realized that Riku had bought his tickets. And looking up, he was now in line at the concession stand. Inhaling, Sora's hands twitched and he brought them up and clasped them together over his stomach as he walked towards Riku.

"Wow. I can't remember the last time I've been to a theater. This is so nostalgic!" Sora bounded up the dim isle and picked a row close to the top of the room. Riku smirked to himself as he followed his friend, eager to see how he would react to the film they were about to view. Watching Sora was almost like watching a movie all of its own. Only it was free of charge, and much more rewarding.

"Yeah. It's been a while. I never went much; didn't really liked going by myself, you know?" Sora popped a few pieces of popcorn into his mouth and peeked over at Riku. Somehow, that hurt him to hear. Anytime Riku mentioned his past, Sora felt a little lonely.

"You've never gone with your friends?" Riku shrugged at the question and almost didn't answer, for the fear of revealing how pathetic he would sound.

"I didn't have many friends… Well, not ones that wanted to do stuff outside of school." Riku instantly regretted telling the truth, because the brunet had looked at him with sad, sympathetic eyes. Nothing irked him more than pity, but he found himself hating the fact that he'd made Sora upset more.

"But that's changed now, right?" Without really meaning to, Riku leaned closer towards the brunet and smiled, ruffling his hair.

"I'm here right now aren't I, Sora?" Sora nodded slowly and looked away from his friend's captivating irises, his hands drifting up to pat the sides of his face.

'_Don't turn red don't turn red, for the love of god, don't turn red__!'_

Sora turned red.

"I couldn't be happier," Sora mumbled somewhat to himself and stuck his hand into the bag to pull out another handful of popcorn.

"These ads feel longer than the actual movie." Riku grumbled and reached into his pocket to take out his phone. He shut it off and looked at Sora to find his expression thoughtful.

"I've always liked these types of films. The stories are nice and so is the artwork. It's amazing to think that people can create such…magic. People like you, Riku." Sora spoke softly, feeling a little silly afterwards. Granted, two men walking in to see a children's movie was out of the ordinary, but Sora didn't give a damn. He was there with his best friend, darn it! He may have just been freaking out about the whole thing, but since Riku wasn't showing any signs of displeasure…that was good.

The lights along the wall suddenly dimmed. Sora poorly held in a chuckle as Riku muttered a "_finally_." The theater was enveloped in darkness, and Sora fidgeted a bit. He stopped himself from reaching for Riku's hand and instead closed his eyes and focused on his friend's breathing. He was instantly calm.

And the movie began.

From the first thirty minutes or so, both of them became immersed in the movie; but to different degrees. Riku enjoyed it and Sora clearly did, too. The opening was the only thing that got him down—and he had even looked over to Sora to find him biting his lip, his eyes slightly wet. Riku reached over and brushed his thumb over his friend's eyes, and Sora leaned into the touch. He gave his friend an embarrassed, but grateful smile before focusing back on the film.

At one point, Riku deliberately reached for the bag of popcorn as Sora did and their hands brushed one another. Sora made a barely audible noise at the new warmth added over his skin.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't see your hand there." Riku apologized, not sounding sorry at all, but he still felt the small beads of sweat form on his forehead. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. He didn't regret it—however overused the action was. His skin still burned from the place their skin had met.

'_Shit, it's hot in here all of the sudden…' _He thought while trying his hardest not to slap himself. Meanwhile, Sora was already staring at his hand, his chest rising and falling at the same speed his mind was racing, and he then held his hand to his chest.

"I-It's all right. Don't worry about it!" Sora whispered, while Riku stared at the theater screen before glancing at him. His eyes quickly darted away and he grabbed his drink, frowning when it was empty.

"I'll be back. I'm going to get another drink. Do you need anything?" He whispered back, and the brunet hesitantly tore his eyes from the screen to look at his friend.

"No, I'll be fine. I kind of what to see what happens next." Sora flushed when Riku made a face that showed he was clearly trying not to laugh.

"Oh, shut up and go get your soda." Sora pushed Riku's smug face away and he laughed. Riku grabbed his drink and reached his hand out for the brunet's, ignoring the small grunt of protest Sora gave him. The brunet watched him wink and then fell back into his seat, defeated. Though he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

"It's all right; I'll get you another one anyway. You don't have to be shy." Riku started to get up until Sora reached out and grabbed his arm. He stared at Riku a moment before he spoke.

"It's really okay. I don't want you to miss that much of the movie either… Wait, do you not like it?" Riku stared into his friend's worried eyes and let a low chuckle escape his lips.

"Of course. I just have to go to the bathroom. I thought that while I'm out, I can swing around and pick us up another drink." Sora stared at him with his sky-blue irises flickering happily.

"Okay. Thanks… Hurry back," the brunet whispered after his friend grabbed their cups and hurried out of the room.

The minute the silver haired teen reached the bathroom, he leaned against the wall. His hand went into his hair and pictured Sora in front of him, smiling. In this setting, he could think of many other things to think about as well, and it scared him. Well, scared may not have been the best word… Sexually frustrated, maybe?

_'You're a sad man, Riku.'_

It had startled him when their hands had brushed each other—not because of the clichéd-ness of it all, but because of the actual feeling that said cliché caused. He never thought something so small could make such an impact on his feelings the way it had. He'd realized a while ago that he'd wanted to hold Sora _romantically. _It was just a little harder now what with the way they'd been getting emotionally closer.

"I have to stop this before I do something stupid," Riku gazed in the mirror and ran a hand through his silver tresses once again, fighting back the urge to bang his head against the wall for the second time that day. He didn't want just a physical relationship with Sora.

'_If I scare him away…'_ He sighed and tried to figure out if there was a way _not_ to like someone like Sora. Well, that was pretty much impossible because of his magnetizing personality. Riku was just going to just have to get better at hiding these feelings or squash them altogether. It was only _infatuation,_ after all. Nothing serious…

'_This will go away, it has to. But…do I really want it to?'_

He decided to contemplate these tormenting questions at a later time—when he wasn't spending time with the _source_ of his jumbled and confusing thoughts.

Riku slipped a hand into his pocket, still brooding a bit, and walked out of the bathroom to get the drinks. If he'd cared to pay attention to anything other than his current task, he would have noticed two suspicious girls trying to locate their targets.

Selphie gasped and tapped her friend's shoulder. "Look! There's Riku!" She whispered to her partner and Kairi nodded, pulling down her beanie cap.

"Good. That saves us a lot of trouble," Kairi whispered back as they watched Riku walk off to the theater. Hopefully the guys wouldn't notice them. They went to great lengths to raid Selphie's older brother's closet for hats and clothes that rendered them impossible to tell with their figures and hair covered. They _really_ took this seriously.

"Come on, let's follow him!" Selphie crept along the wall and Kairi almost wanted to because of the looks that they were getting. Sighing, she just grabbed her friends arm and showed the clerk their tickets and kept a sizeable distance between Riku. They waited and watched which theater he went into, and then they followed him.

"I hope no one knows we didn't get the tickets for _this_ movie…" Kairi winced lightly, looking down at her ticket stub. But she decided that a little fraud was okay if it was necessary—because she deemed this as necessary as it got. Selphie didn't look the least bit guilty though, as she dragged Kairi just a little faster. Their clothes were oversized and near falling off, but they figured it was enough to get in and out without being discovered.

Still oblivious to the two women trailing him, Riku walked back up to his seat and gave Sora his drink.

"Oh, thanks again. Want me to tell you what you missed?" Riku nodded and looked over a moment as two people passed him and took seats in the row above, directly behind them. He didn't look back, but something inside his stomach felt odd, but he ignored it and listened to his friend whisper on about the movie. As Sora rambled, Riku nodded and smiled at him, taking more joy in listening to his voice than listening to the story.

"All right, I think I'm caught up. Thanks." The males smiled at each other and heard a set of giggles coming from the row behind them. Riku simply arched an eyebrow as he looked back, but the people behind them were looking down, and the lack of light made it hard to see. So he just ignored them again and turned his gaze to the screen.

Even though his attention returned to Sora moments later.

.….

.….

Riku had been so interested in the movie that he almost missed the abnormal breaths coming from the teen next to him.

"Sora?" Riku moved over to look at Sora's face—he was in fact, crying.

"Hey, hey… Sora?" Riku immediately leaned closer and his hands moved Sora's face in front of his. Sora stared up at him in shock, but his expression fell and he looked pain afterwards. "Hey now," Riku said softly, his fingers gliding under Sora's tearful blue eyes before he tried to pull away.

"Come on. You can tell me what's wrong. You promised, remember?" Sora's breath hitched and if Riku would've been paying attention to anything other than Sora, he would've noticed the two figures behind him still with worry, but also anticipation.

"No, I just… This story is just really sad." Riku looked into his eyes and knew that the brunet was making up a lie so he wouldn't worry. That didn't change the fact that he still did. But begging Sora about it wasn't going to make him feel better.

"You know you're a terrible liar? I'm not buying it." Subconsciously, Riku moved his long, elegant fingers along Sora's cheek and the brunet shivered at the contact, yearning desperately for the older male to touch him more. He grasped the hand against his cheek and nuzzled into it, surprising Riku a bit. The older male's eyes softened, and he ran his other hand soothingly along Sora's shoulder. Sora felt relaxed under the touch.

"I… Can we finish watching the movie? I will tell you. Just not here." Sora touched Riku's hand and gave him a grateful look as he nodded and wiped away any wetness left on the brunet's cheeks.

"Listen, I'm not going to make you say anything you don't want to. Okay?" He was still more concerned about Sora than the movie, but it seemed as though the brunet was trying to forget what happened a moment ago, for he was now smiling with a small blush on his cheeks.

Nothing more was said while they watched the movie together, although, Riku kept his hand comfortingly wrapped around his friend's smaller one.

Sora glanced away from his friend, in fear of the teen seeing how red his face had gotten just from that simple act of kindness. He didn't even notice the credits rolling, but Riku stood up and stretched. Sora sighed and mimicked the action, and after they made their way out of the theater, they stood outside and Riku looked for his vehicle, frowning when he forgot which row he'd parked in.

"Well, that was a mood whiplash movie. One moment I'm happy and the next I'm depressed." Sora looked up at the night sky as they walked, his hands slipping out of his pockets as he scratched his arm timidly.

"Yeah, you don't find too many kid movies that give you borderline depression. It was still good though. As far as kid flicks go," Riku laughed when Sora snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Just admit that you were just as interested in it as I was." Sora pushed Riku, watching him sway on his feet. The older snorted and pushed him back. It didn't take long for an all out war to start, and Sora was sprinting away from a vengeful Riku. The silver haired male weaved through the mess of vehicles after Sora until he caught him and pinned him against a large SUV. Sora was laughing as if he'd never stop, but he was running short of breath, so it started to affect him until he was gasping for air.

"Got you." Riku muttered breathlessly, smiling.

Sora laughed and grabbed Riku's forearms, looking up at him. Riku's expression grew serious as he started downwards, meeting his friend's intense look. His eyes were glowing, so much joy and mirth in them that Riku had to pull back and turn away before he did something he'd regret. Sora was a bit confused, but the feeling of realizing Riku had just pinned him against someone's car made him a little dizzy. How had that even happened?

"I hope I parked around here somewhere." Riku groaned and dug out his keys. He hit the unlock button and glanced around for headlights. When he spotted them, it was only a few rows over. His sigh was onel of relief. "This way."

Sora followed Riku through the lot and he stopped short when two figures rushed down the same isle. Because they were between the walkway and not the cars, there was enough room for Sora to move away—had he foreseen their actions. But he didn't, and the strange men that rushed passed them bumped into his shoulder and he stumbled awkwardly. Riku and his convenient reflexes reached out and caught his arm in time, but his ankle twisted as he staggered to regain his balance.

Hey, watch where you're going!" Riku shouted in annoyance. One of the guys tried to mumble an odd, deep "Sorry" as they stumbled away, between the other cars, giggling as they were out of sight within seconds. "What's the hell was with them? Asses. Clearly there was enough room to go around." Riku scoffed lightly before he looked down at the flushed brunet in his arms.

"Nah, don't worry about it. I could have just as easily moved." Sora quickly pushed away and then winced in pain when he moved on his right ankle. Riku noticed.

"Hey, they didn't hurt you, did they?" Riku grabbed the brunet's shoulders to steady him before he could fall again. Sora looked up with a "Nope" and then tried to walk it off. He bit his lip as a jolt of pain shot up his leg and he groaned. He tried again, but had to stop when the pain immediately flared up once more. With a small frown, Sora sighed.

"I guess I twisted it after all…" The brunet suppressed another cry as he tried to stand on his foot. Riku watched over him with a worried expression on his face and crouched down, reaching for his friend's ankle. Sora swallowed when Riku told him to lean back against the car they were closest to and he lifted up the brunet's foot slightly. Sora winced.

Riku rolled up his pant leg and winced slightly at the bruising that was already forming. Lightly, he touched around the brunet's ankle and frowned. Sora made a fist against the car—not from the minimal pain, but from the light dancing of Riku's fingers against his skin. Apparently, he was sensitive to Riku touching him _anywhere._

"It's definitely swollen. It doesn't look too bad though; just a minor sprain. That's good." Riku smiled up and him and stood back up. "Can you walk?"

Sora felt awful for having to tell his friend he couldn't, but he'd rather tell the truth then become a burden if his ankle suddenly gave out.

"Sorry," Sora mumbled and shook his head.

"Hey, no problem. As long as I get you home without you putting any strain on yourself, I'm good. Here, lean on me." Riku nodded towards himself and then slid Sora's arm around his neck and his own arm around Sora's waist. Sora blinked for a few moments before he felt his heart rate increase.

"Y-You're really tall." Sora frowned at the height difference, but it was less of a shot to his pride and more of a blessing when he realized that he fit against his friend like a puzzle piece. He suddenly flushed, biting the inside of his cheek for thinking like that. He tried to walk again but let a cry slip past his lips. Riku hauled him up a little higher and started towards the direction of his car.

"It's a blessing really. Or more like a miracle, because most of my family is short." Riku smiled as he looked forward, his features wistful. Sora smiled, eager to know all the things about Riku's life and his family, even if they were the littlest things.

"Then I guess you got lucky." Sora laughed when Riku gave him a look. Sora hadn't gotten the double entendre, but Riku certainly had. It had taken him a few moments, but Sora suddenly realized what he said. "You know what I meant." He mumbled embarrassedly while his friend began to chuckle.

"You have such a way with words." Riku grinned when Sora wrapped his arm around Riku's shoulders closer to his neck. "Oh, by the way, do you want me to take you to your house?" Sora grasped Riku's neck a little tighter subconsciously and mumbled and apology when he realized this. He winced when Riku looked down at him curiously. They stopped just before his car and Riku opened the door for his friend and helped him inside.

"Hey. Is it hurting you?" Riku asked as he crouched down near his friend, holding onto the door for balance.

"Not really. It hurts only a bit, sorry. Can… Can I stay at your place again? I live kind of far, and… If you don't want me there it's fine, I just don't want you to have to take me all the—"

"Rambling, Sora. I'm telling you, it's fine. Of course you can stay. I like the company." That was an understatement, but Sora didn't have to know that. Riku sighed as he rose to his feet and shut the door, sliding into the driver's seat a moment later.

"Thanks. I really, _really_ appreciate it, Riku. You always make me feel—" Sora turned to look at his best friend as he spoke and Riku locked their gaze, effectively making Sora lose his breath. Sora wasn't sure why, but he felt like something inside him was squeezing again. He _knew_ that he should look away, but he couldn't. He wished with his entire being that Riku would look at him the way he saw his silver-haired friend, but this…this was enough for him. He couldn't ask anything more from Riku than such a wonderful, close friendship… Sora inhaled shakily and reached out and equally shaky hand.

"You make me feel…" Sora's hand made contact with Riku's cheek and suddenly their roles were reversed, unlike before when Riku was so used to doing this action.

'_Loved,'_ Sora thought, but if he said that out lout it would all be over. Riku leaned into his touch slightly, his eyes lidding and his expression…longing, almost? Sora couldn't be sure, so he figured it was just his imagination getting the best of him when it hurt the most.

"Like I'm special," Sora finally finished lamely and Riku touched his hand, bringing it down towards his chest. When he stopped above his heart, Sora found that it was steady. How could he be so calm, when he himself felt as if his chest would collapse?

"That's because you are." Riku's eyes were sincere, Sora could tell he was honest not just by the tone he used, but by the way he looked at him. How could he be so easy to read one moment and that unbearably difficult the next? Sora just pulled back and laughed, his eyelids suddenly feeling heavy. He bit his lip though as he turned away and leaned into the seat. He felt Riku's eyes on him for a little while, but he said nothing. Riku started the car and pulled out of the lot, thinking to himself.

"Thank you." Riku turned towards Sora briefly and made a questioning noise. When Sora repeated himself, Riku smiled at him fondly. He reached over to ruffle the brunet's hair, but it wasn't as rough as normal, and the touch helped Sora get comfortable enough to drift off.

"You're welcome."

Riku drove Sora to his flat—his friend sleeping the rest of the way. It wasn't until the parked that Riku finally looked at him again. His seatbelt was the only thing holding him upright and his hands were twitching slightly and he mumbled. Riku laughed a bit when he saw a thin trail of saliva falling from the side of Sora's mouth. How_ cute_. Riku shook his head as he got out of the car, wondering if he should have been disturbed that he thought that.

But it didn't matter, because he had unbuckled his friend and scooped him up as carefully as he could. He kicked the door closed and punched in the numbers to get into his building, still carrying Sora and trying to hold onto his wallet and such. When they arrived at his flat he shuffled for his keys and opened his door—which was really fucking hard while carrying someone, but he was careful not to drop or damage the slumbering brunet the entire time.

"At least you're not as light as before. I don't know whether to be relieved or make fun of you for it." Riku muttered, knowing full well that he couldn't hear it. But it was irresistible to tease Sora at any given time, and he found this appropriate.

Riku carried him to his bedroom, giving his normal spot to the brunet and covered him up. He sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the boy—just watching him for a few moments. The silver-haired male hesitated briefly before he smiled and bent down.

"Sleep tight…" And with that said, he leaned in and pressed his lips to the brunet's forehead. After keeping his lips on the forehead for a second longer than he had intended to, Riku inhaled deeply and went to sleep on the couch, trying to calm his thundering heart the entire way there.

Sora was going to be the end of him.

"But that's…okay."

.….

**End – Chapter 6**

.….

* * *

...If I forgot to complete a sentence or misspelled a word, just let me know. My mind is scattered today.

Y'know, normally when people drool…it's not cute. But when Sora drools, it's cute. Because everything Sora does is cute :Db

**The characters used in this fic are © Square Enix. I DON'T OWN THEM AT ALL, NOR THE GAME. **If I did, there would be loads of gay. More than there already is, but you get the point.

Reviews would be greatly appreciated. They make my day so much brighter, honestly~

And it doesn't have to be a WHOASUPERLONG-NESS comment—though I like those. Just drop a 'Hi' in thur and I will be satisfied /o/


	7. All my tomorrows are filled with you

..…..

**Be My Last**

**-Chapter 7-**

..…..

* * *

_~Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending~_

* * *

**.**…**.**

**.**…**.**

His head felt like it was splitting. Again.

For the second time in his life, Sora opened his eyes to be greeted with the now-familiar ceiling. The subtle designs and that too-bright white paint were making his headache worse.

Even his movements were agitating him; the simple action of rolling over took more effort than it should have, and he immediately regretted it. Before anything else, Sora pulled the covers around himself a little tighter and breathed in a scent that didn't belong to him. It was fresh, but deep and masculine and it was making his thoughts clear. He was at Riku's flat again.

Thinking about the events of yesterday, Sora inhaled deeply and stretched his legs out across the cool, silken sheets.

'_He let me sleep here again,'_ he thought, curling in on himself and taking in another deep breath. He didn't want to wake up, but he knew something was missing and he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep no matter how hard he tried.

Sora sat up as slowly as he could and rubbed at his eyes. He had obviously conked out on the way back and couldn't even remember how he had ended up in his friend's bed. With once glance around the room he knew that Riku wasn't here. When he did not spot the silver-haired male he scooted to the edge of the bed and rose to his feet. His ankle was still somewhat swollen, but it was well enough to walk on with only a slight limp—and he did so in order to search around.

"He did leave," he muttered, scratching his arm when he didn't spot his friend anywhere. He rubbed up and down over his arms as the light chill gave him goosebumps, but still went to the small kitchenette. The bright green post it note taped to the refrigerator caught his attention immediately and his bare feet tapped the cold floor as he bounded over to it. Sure enough, his name was in bold at the top of it and underneath was tiny, neat handwriting.

'_Sora,_

_Note time, bro! I figured I'd return the favor from before and write __you__ something this time. Hopefully you see it._  
_Anyway, since you woke up and told me you weren't going to class I figured I'd just let you sleep, since I only had drawing today and will be back in a bit. If I'm not back by 2, then I probably had to stay after and help clean up. Plus I need to go to the store and get some more stuff to eat. I'll be back soon._

And… Well, you don't have to stay, but I wanted to talk about some things when I get back.'

_See you later a bit later  
Or maybe not. Your choice :D'_

Sora gazed at the note a few more seconds before he set it down and moved his fingers over it. It looked like there were so many erase marks, so he chuckled a bit at that before he focused on the contents of the message. He hadn't even remembered waking up before… But the main thing on his mind was that a part of him wanted to tell Riku about why he had gotten so emotional. And another part of him didn't. Riku knew he didn't like involving people with his problems, but he felt guilty that his friend was so concerned about this. It wasn't that he couldn't tell him, it was just so, so hard…

The past was going to catch up with him eventually, so he figured he'd avoid it as much as possible until then.

"I'm a coward," he spoke in a low whisper as his fingers clenched into a fist over the note. But at the same time he knew that he couldn't work himself up over this. What would Riku think if he came home to his friend all worked up? With a sigh and a hand running through his hair, Sora made a path for the living room and plopped down on the sofa, calming himself down.

'_What to do…'_

To tell the truth…or to lie? No, those options were complicated. With Riku, he'd never be able to pull off a lie…and the truth of his past would make him a wreck. So what other choice did he really have? For a split second, he almost gave up and thought it would be best to just leave. But with Riku's note and the way he'd helped him last night, he couldn't do that.

It was probably close to a half hour that Sora lounged on that sofa until he heard the front door click open. Sitting straight up, Sora turned towards the door and rose to his feet so that he could welcome his friend after he walked in. But the face that greeted him was not that of his best friend. Instead, it was a tall and lanky redhead with a huge grin on his face, who lifted a hand in the air as he strolled into the room.

Sora raised an eyebrow as he walked right passed him and stood in the middle of the room. The boy who came in behind him did notice, and stared at Sora in surprise for a few moments.

"Heyheyhey!" There was a brief pause before the redhead placed a hand on his hip. "I _know_ you're here Riku, because the door was unlocked and you _always_ lock it. If you're hiding, I will find you and hug you and it will be very heterosexual and you will never live it down." The redhead's cat-like grin stretched fully across his face and he opened his eyes wider to look around the room. He swung his key chain around his finger as he glanced around again before his jade eyes fell on Sora, who had cleared his throat and waved.

"Uh," Sora's eyes darted around nervously before he looked back at the other male.

"Who're you?" The redhead still held a smile on his face as he resumed swinging his keys around. He was staring and for some reason, it bothered Sora. Those eyes, even though they were almost the same colour as Riku's…they didn't make him feel hypnotized or giddy. Just a little creeped out.

"Axel, I told you he wouldn't be home this early." The blonde still standing in the front door finally closed it behind him before walking up to the taller male. Sora was slightly shocked when he finally noticed that this guy kind of looked _a lot_ like him. Their eyes and hair were different, yes, but he was seriously unsure of whether he should feel weird or not.

"Well, shit. What do you want me to do, Roxas? He never answers my text messages," 'Axel' groaned and placed a hand on the shorter blonde's head. He then strolled towards Sora and bent forward so that he was hovering over the brunet. "So, I never got you name."

At this distance, Sora noticed the diamond shaped tattoos under the redhead's eyes while he leaned closer. That was pretty cool, but Axel was really close and Sora did not fancy being looked at like he was… Well, like he was about to be eaten. Axel was good at making him uncomfortable.

Swallowing loudly, he backed up and forced away the awkwardness as he put on his best smile.

"Er, it's Sora. You?" The man grinned and his lips curled back to reveal his white teeth and he chuckled. Sora cringed, leaning backwards slightly at the ominous tone in the tall man's laugh.

"Axel, stop it, you're scaring him. We talked about this, remember? Being stared at is creepy. Laughing like that is creepy. Invading his personal space is _creepy_." Roxas folded his arms and Axel pouted. He then walked over to hang on the short blonde.

"I was just making friendly. How is that creepy at all? Oh. I get it—you're jealous." Axel hugged him tighter and sent Sora a look and a wink. The brunet made a noise that was between a gasp and a squeak.

"No. It's creepy because it's _you_," Roxas said, peeling the taller male's arms off. Upon closer inspection, however, Sora could tell that he was blushing. It was faint, but it was still there. That made him curious. But now the blonde was in front of him and nodding.

"Sorry about him… I'm Roxas, by the way." The blonde held a hand out for Sora, and the brunet took it with a smile and introduced himself again. Roxas nodded and closed his eyes, flinging a hand over his shoulder to thumb towards the redhead. "That idiot over there is Axel, as I'm sure you've already heard. But you have to don't pay him any attention. You learn to tune him out after a while, and he gets a little better with personal space with time. At the very least, you won't feel like he's after your virginity. Sorry." Roxas grinned for the first time and Sora almost laughed.

"Ouch, Roxas! You cut me deep! Worst introduction ever, man." Axel put a hand over his heart and whined, a look of mock-hurt coming to his face. When the redhead walked over to Sora, he ruffled his hair. "I'm Riku's cousin. Don't want you to think I just come into people's houses at random. Or that I rape people." At this, he sent Roxas a withering stare. "So, d'you know where he is? Or are you just freeloading?" Axel dodged Roxas' fist and made a noise of triumph. Sora guessed he didn't do that often. But with a look back to where the note rested on the table, Sora nodded.

"He has class, but that's probably over. I think he's at the store right now… He said he'd be back by two. I was just…waiting for him." Sora shrugged and then looked down at his feet after he noticed the look Axel was giving him. The older was taking the brunet's words and thinking about them, which was the reason that his expression darkened with amusement.

"That so? Huh. Oh well. We can wait," Axel paused, turning around and placing both hands on his hips this time, "Or maybe not. Riku does like his privacy, the little prick. Besides that, he didn't mention that he was dating such a fine piece of as—" He was cut off as Roxas elbowed him in the side. The taller wheezed and held his hands up in surrender. Sora choked back a gasp as he listened to the redhead cackle and ignore the blonde as he chastised him. He'd never been hit on quite like this before.

"I-It's not like that…" Sora said. He gritted his teeth and clenched his hands together at how clearly upset he sounded about it. Axel walked over and looked at him.

"But you want it to be?" Axel inquired, leaning in just a bit closer. Sora held a breath, backing up. His palms were sweating and the man that towered a good two heads above him was still staring at him curiously.

"I don't know, I—" Roxas pushed Axel away from Sora and placed a hand on the brunet's shoulder.

"Stop teasing the poor kid, you douche." Roxas elbowed the redhead in the pancreas once more and flicked Sora an apologetic look. "Well then, I guess we better leave. It looks like they have some kind of dinner date for later. Don't worry, we won't interrupt that." The blonde patted the brunet's shoulder, smirking at Axel. Sora stuttered on a few words he couldn't quite get out, and his cheeks displayed a nice rosy colour.

'_Hey, he just—that jerk!__ I _thought_ he was on my side!' _ Sora pouted, his shoulders dropping.

"All joking aside, just let Riku know that his cousin is in town. That should get a nice reaction," Axel said with a happy wave. Something about the way he said that made Sora doubtful, but he still agreed to it and waved back. Then the two made their way out of the flat, leaving behind a confused and still slightly flustered brunet.

After that, Sora simply returned Riku's sofa and sighed. Hopefully no more visitors would drop by unannounced, so that way he'd at least save himself a bit of humiliation. It was hardly too much to ask for a little peace and quiet now and again, wasn't it?

He had kicked back against the cushions, and just as he was getting comfortable, he heard something—or someone rather—fumbling around outside. Then the door handle jiggled. Rolling off the couch in surprise, he sat up and turned his attention to the door that was finally kicked open. To his relief and delight, his silver-haired friend waltzed through the door with several bags hanging from his biceps and even more within his arms. Clearly, he had enough muscle to carry them all. (Sora would deny that he was turned on and frustrated by this all at the same time.)

"You're back," Sora mumbled and rose to his feet, tapping his fingers together nervously. He was trying not to stare, but…Riku looked great today, standing there essentially out of breath. His hair was pulled back lazily and he was dressed in a light jacket, a tight shirt—that showed off his muscles—and his dark jeans that were held up by an intricately designed belt hugged his hips. Sora wished he could afford clothes like that. That made Sora's (technically they were _Riku's_) matching loose shirt and shorts seem relatively boring.

"Hey." Sora spoke, inwardly kicking himself for how hard it was to work his vocal cords. When Riku finally looked up, he smiled and set the bags on the floor so he could remove his shoes.

"Hey. I'm glad you're still here," Riku spoke as he untied his laces. Sora purposely kept his eyes on the floor and grabbed some of the bags to help bring them to the kitchen. "Thanks. I went sort of crazy with the shopping," Riku muttered with a small smile and scratched the back of his head, "Hopefully you weren't too bored while I was gone." The older smirked as Sora sent him a bland look and they carried the bags to the counters in the little kitchenette.

"Oh! I was so lonely, Riku; I hardly knew what to do with myself until you got back! Clearly I am unfit to be left all by my lonesome," he teased in a high-pitched voice, falling against his friend dramatically and petted his head. "Oh yeah. Before I forget, these two weir…uh…guys came by earlier. Axel and Roxas?"

The box of popcorn that was in Riku's hand fell and he fumbled around as he tried to catch it. Ultimately, he failed and then sent Sora a look of alarm. "Wait. _Wait._ Did you just say _Axel_?" When the brunet nodded, Riku groaned, grabbing his head and gritting his teeth as he hunched over on the counter. Sora watched him carefully, but still continued to put away the groceries.

"What? Are they bad or something? Should I not have let them in? He said he was your cousin, so I… Sorry."

Riku waved his hand, shaking his head before he turned to stare at Sora and the brunet blinked while stopping his motions.

"No… Axel is just really, _really_ annoying even after you get to know him. Roxas has one hell of a temper if you know how to push his buttons. It's not that hard, really. He's an stubborn little shit. The point is that they're weird." Riku frowned, running a hand through his hair again. "For example: last year Axel almost burned down my whole damn flat. The. Whole. Thing. 'Look Riku! Baked Alaska!' he says… My_ ass_. Two seconds after he said that the whole damn thing exploded. The flames caught the curtains and everything—seriously, what do you put in the cake to make it explode like that? Nevermind the fact that I was almost evicted; he almost killed us all! Roxas needs to keep him on a nice, tight leash and never let him—" Riku continued to rant, making hand gestures Sora had never seen until the brunet started to laugh. This was the most he'd ever heard Riku deal out his frustrations. Sora couldn't handle it.

Riku hesitated.

"What's so funny?" Sora took a moment to compose himself and pointed at his friend.

"You! You're facial expressions are so hilarious. I've never seen you this worked up, man!" Riku frowned as he poked Sora in the cheek and leaned closer. He put both of his hands on Sora's cheeks and squished them between his palms, glaring playfully.

"You saying my face is funny looking? Does it _amuse_ you?" His smile fell and for a moment, Sora thought that he really was angry. But then Riku snickered, releasing Sora's face. The brunet watched Riku laugh and suddenly felt ridiculous. Had he really been scared of him? Of _Riku_?

He wouldn't hurt a fly.

"Pfft." Sora poked Riku's nose in retaliation before he started to walk away. Riku snorted, hitting Sora's shoulder. The brunet froze and turned around, a lone eyebrow rising. Riku stared.

"I hope you know…" Sora said as he walked closer. "'This means war,'" he said, his cerulean eyes glowing as he stood before his friend. Riku inhaled slightly, but managed a grin. Sora slapped Riku in the face, though it was playful. Riku let out a surprised choke and touched his cheek, laughing a moment later. That had actually kind of hurt.

"H-Hey! You little shit!" The silver-haired male expressed his amusement through a loud laugh as Sora hopped his sofa as he ran away. Riku chased him until he was standing on the opposite side, and using the armrest for protection. Riku's eyes narrowed as Sora cackled.

"I hate when this happens," Riku murmured, rubbing his forehead. If he moved one way Sora would move the other, laughing at Riku the whole time. Finally Riku gave up and swiftly scrambled over the furniture, securely snatching Sora from behind and swinging him around.

"Whoa! Dizzy! World spinning!" Sora stuttered as Riku spun around clutching him tightly within his arms. With large grin, Riku gave up and fell to the floor and grinned when Sora landed under him. Sora was laughing now, too.

"We sure do have a habit of falling, don't we?" Sora's laughter almost made it difficult to ask this question and Riku stared down at him. Those words struck something inside and his laughter slowly frittered away. Falling. It was almost ironic that he picked that choice of words.

"Sora." Riku's now serious expression caused the brunet to tilt his head to the side, confused at how quickly the teen's features had changed. "You didn't tell me everything yesterday, Sora. I… When you cried, I…" Riku trailed off, staring into the sky blue eyes of the brunet under him—sobering the mood. Sora turned his head away and lightly pushed on Riku's chest; the teen slipped off of his friend and sat on the floor while Sora moved to sit with his back turned to Riku, and he hesitated for a moment.

"Being together with someone like that. Watching movies together…was something my mother and I would do when I was younger. It just reminded me of the time when we would have fun watching movies and things like that. After she died, I…"

Something inside Riku sank as Sora spoke. So his mother was…? Riku quickly crawled around to gaze at Sora's face. He wasn't crying, but the expression on his face was pained. He now knew why his friend felt that way, but it didn't matter anymore, because Sora was hurt again. And it had been _his_ fault. It was always his fault.

"I didn't… I'm so sorry." Riku apologized and looked away from his friend, now feeling incredibly guilty for forcing him to say that much when it was obviously difficult for him. Why was he doing this? To protect Sora? He wasn't 'protecting' him at all. That made his chest ache, so in order to give Sora some space, he moved to get up until his friend grabbed his wrist.

"Stop. You don't have anything to apologize for. I just got caught up in my memories, again. I'm not strong enough. Not to tell you… Not to let all this out…" Riku observed Sora's expression and placed his pale hand over the brunet's slender tan one. Sora looked up and his brows furrowed again in pain and Riku couldn't stand it.

"It's nothing you should be sorry for, either. I was an idiot for making you talk. I'm sorry, I didn't…" Riku stared down at his hands and his shoulders fell a bit, like his heart. If Sora didn't think he was a dick by now, he'd be surprised. But then again, he should have been more surprised that he'd even _think_ that, because Sora was always proving him wrong. Deep down, he hoped he would this time, too.

"I won't bring it up again," Riku promised, his hand still encasing Sora's. "I won't make you tell me anything. Unless it's hurting you. I won't stand for that—and I'm sorry if that makes you angr—" Sora was suddenly on his knees, his arms around Riku's neck as he leaned forward and embraced him. Riku stared straight ahead, frozen, as Sora wound his arms a little tighter and inhaled. The motion made Riku shiver.

"Thank you," Sora breathed, shaking slightly until he felt Riku's hands at his lower back. They snaked up slightly and he bit his lip, pushing back so that he could start at his friend. "I don't want you to worry about me, Riku." The brunet buried his head into Riku's shoulder and as he did this, Riku's arms finally moved fully around him.

"I thought it went without saying that I'd want you to be happy. I don't want you to be sad, and I'll do anything to stop those kind of feelings. I can't call myself your friend if I just gave up and let things upset you." It was one of those close friendship things, he guessed. Tuned into each other's emotions and such.

But this… Perhaps he and Sora shared a bond deeper than what could be explained…? He liked to think so.

"You're really…" Sora leaned back again and hesitated before he ran his fingers through Riku's hair. When the older male's eyes slipped shut, he thought about kissing him. He really, _really_ thought about it and almost gave in. But then Riku's eyes were open again and they stared at each other. Sora flushed, backing out of Riku's arms and scrambling to sit on the floor next to him. What had he been thinking? This was not something guys did platonically, and surely Riku knew that! So why…

Sora wasn't going to work himself up thinking about it.

"I will tell about myself, because I really do think it will help, but…not now. I can't." Sora looked down at his hands until Riku mussed up his hair. The younger laughed.

"Okay. Take your time. I won't let anything bother you until then, okay?" Riku smiled and Sora did as well, his hand twitching at his side as Riku's fell next to it.

"Why don't we watch another movie?" Sora shrugged as he spoke, trying to find some way to focus on something other than his best friend. Riku blinked.

"Are you sure you're up for it? That went so well the last time." Riku teased him, but when Sora noticed the concerned expression on his friend's face, he smiled and nodded.

"Yeah… I'm all right now. And I like spending time with you, so—er, well. Yeah. A-As long as there's hot chocolate involved, I'll watch every single movie you have!" The brunet's smile widened as he pulled back to watch his friend shake his head.

"Well that didn't take long. I was worried for nothing." Riku stated with a laugh, but he honestly couldn't picture the brunet letting himself be miserable for a long period of time. That relieved him more than anything. As long as Sora was happy, than he sure as hell could be as well.

"Psh. I'm secretly an anti-depressant."

**.**…**.**

**.**…**.**

Riku never did like buying movies.

The main reason being that he never had anyone to watch them with. Which was _really_ sad when he thought about it… Even after he tucked that shameful bit of information away in the darkest part of his mind, he vowed to buy them more often. The cause for this random and wallet-draining promise was sitting next to him on the sofa. His blue eyes were wide and expressive and his attention on nothing other than the television. The reaction was beautiful and hilarious at the same time.

Riku looked away from the current movie—the fourth one so far—and glanced to his small companion for the thousandth time. Except this time, he wasn't as subtle. A barely audible laugh blew past his lips at his friend's fascinated stare.

"What?" Sora asked when he noticed the action, while sipping his cup of hot chocolate. Riku eyed him, wondering how many more drinks he could take without crashing.

"Nothin'," Riku shrugged and quieted his chuckles as he leaned over to run his finger across Sora's upper lip where the chocolate 'stash was previously located.

"Sora had a moo-stash," he articulated, grinning at Sora's pout. "That's as manly as you're going to get." Sora chocked on his hot chocolate and turned towards Riku, mock-offended.

"Way to land a blow to my self-esteem. Thanks, man. I'm so glad that drinking hot chocolate lowers my masculinity. I guess you have room to talk when you're muscles are the size of—are you flexing right now?" Sora managed to keep a straight face as he sat down at his empty cup watched Riku show off his arms. Sora was staring, but he tried to play it off with a laugh even if he thought it came out awkwardly. As he was rolling down his sleeves, Riku laughed in return and watched Sora bite his lip and look away. Right then he decided that no one looked as cute with their face flushed, or with that light chocolate foam above their lips as Sora.

"Maybe you should grow a real one," Riku suggested, laughing at the imagery. Sora shook his head and sighed, punching Riku in the arm. The older laughed again and leaned back against the sofa watching Sora look down into his empty mug.

"So, uh… You wouldn't happen to have any more packages would you?" The brunet asked with his big, cerulean irises sparkling for additional emphasis. At the question, Riku held up his hand and did his best to ignore the pout.

"Nope. Sorry, I don't think so. You'll need to get your stomach pumped if you drink anymore. We went through that whole box in less than three hours, dude." He taunted and held back a smirk at Sora's devastated expression.

"Aw… Seriously? Can't we buy more?" Sora's bottom lip quivered and his eyes watered. When Riku gave him an unconvinced look, he snickered and turned his attention back to the movie. After a few moments Riku noticed him drag his knees up to hug them and shortly after the action his body began to shiver.

"Hey, you cold? You have bumps everywhere." Sora nodded slightly as he wasn't able to deny when there was evidence. Riku arched a silver brow at this. How someone could be cold after drinking so many cups of hot chocolate was beyond him. It was getting drafty, now that he thought about it, but he was still hot from all that cocoa. While stretching, Riku rose up off the couch and went to retrieve a blanket from the closet in his bedroom. He placed it on the sofa before he removed his own jacket.

"Yes! You have those super soft and fuzzy blankets," Sora spoke, his joy visible as he took the blanket and wrapped it around himself. "Ah. Heaven."

"How can you be cold? I'm sweating over here." Riku tucked a strand of his long bangs behind his ear and wiped his forehead as he reclined back in his spot.

"Dunno. I'm usually always warm, but after I drink hot liquids I get cold and feel like I need to keep drinking them." Oh. That explained the dozen cups and lone empty box of hot chocolate. In hindsight, he should've bought more than one…

"That's so strange, I have never heard of that happening. Well, I guess I can't really say anything since I'm always cold." Riku shrugged and waited for Sora to once again become entranced with their film after a short response. Riku glanced at the screen before turning back to Sora. The whole fight scene those three pirates had him fidgeting in his seat. Riku never pegged Sora as an action kind of guy, but this was hilarious to watch. He'd never met anyone so expressive.

"I wish I could move like that," Sora mumbled. Riku stared at him for a while and a sudden, light shiver racked through his body. When had it gotten so cold? Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Sora had the blanket and he was still in his short sleeved shirt… Riku inhaled quietly before he scooted over to Sora and lifted the blanket up and around them both. The action had Sora to look up at him and open his mouth. When nothing came out, Riku gave a light shrug and a smile.

"It's…cold," Riku muttered for lack of anything more descriptive to say. Sora only smiled.

"See? I told you. Don't you want your own, though?" Sora laughed softly, moving over slightly so that Riku could get more comfortable. It wasevenwarmer now, so that was a plus. Riku's side pressed up against him was nice, too.

"I'm too lazy to go and get another one," Riku muttered. Sora didn't say much and just fidgeted with his hands as they rested in his lap. He tried to focus on the movie, but it was proving to be rather difficult with Riku shuffling around next to him. As his eyes lowered, he suddenly realized that he was tired. It was still early by his standards, but he was more upset by the fact that there was a little bit more movie left and that Riku was sitting against him. He didn't want to be tired now.

"This sucks…" He muttered to himself. Riku turned to him and made a small noise, but Sora didn't respond. Instead, he let his head rest on Riku's shoulder until the older male tensed up. But then he relaxed, much to Sora's relief. The older didn't say a word as he moved his hand through Sora's hair, smiling as he accepted the gentle touch with a sigh. Riku took that as encouragement, so he continued for a little longer before pulling away. He missed Sora's frown, as he had turned back to the television.

"Riku… D'you want to watch any more movies?" With a glance at the clock, Riku realized that it was getting late. Well, not really, but he had class the following morning.

"It doesn't matter to me. You?" Sora yawned and rubbed at his eyes, then let his head fall against Riku's chest. That was enough of an answer for him.

"I'm kind of tired..." His voice helped the silver haired teen decide to get up from the sofa to turn the television off and take the empty cups to the sink. When he walked back into the living room, he found his friend leaning against the armrest, already fast asleep.

"Are you serious?" Riku asked himself with a growing smile. He walked over to Sora and took one of his eartails into his hand and the hair felt like silk beneath his fingers. Tugging at it, he laughed when Sora made no movement outside of furrowing his brows slightly. After that, he picked the small brunet up—blanket and all—and took him to his bed, slipping him under the covers.

"Night." Riku muttered as he started to walk away.

"Night," he heard Sora mutter. Riku froze. When his friend said nothing else, he turned around and stared at him. Sora was…asleep? Riku moved to the side of the bed and sat down, staring at him. The kid was a terrible actor, so Riku knew he was not faking sleep. This made a smile come to his face as he lightly touched Sora's cheek.

Instead of sleeping on the couch, Riku removed his shirt and jeans—throwing on a tank top to match the sweat pants he had shrugged into. It took him a moment to think it over, but the good weighed out the bad thoughts and he slid under the sheets next to his friend. Sora didn't stir.

"This time I'm awake to do this," he quietly admitted as he rolled onto his stomach and slid an arm around Sora. The lights were out now, but he could have sworn that he saw the brunet smile.

When his eyes could no longer force themselves to gaze at Sora's calmed expression, he smiled and slowly joined him and fell asleep.

.**…**.

.**…**.

The following morning had gone very well and, after Riku woke up to a clearly flustered Sora, the two chatted for a while.

It didn't take long before Sora insisted on making breakfast. Riku wasn't going to lie: it was terrible. But Sora tried hard and he looked absolutely endearing when he was concentrating. Riku ate those misshapen pancakes like they were the last food on earth, and then thanked him with a ruffle to the brunet's spiky hair. Sora didn't seem to mind in the slightest.

The afternoon that followed was the same as always. The hours dragged along as they attended their classes, but they met afterwards and Riku ended up tagging along to the café.

When they arrived at the front doors, Riku had been in the middle of talking and holding the door open when he caught a flash of unreasonably bright red hair, and side-swept blonde to accompany it. His stomach sank and he held the door open long after Sora had walked in and turned to him.

"Riku?"

"Oh, hell." Riku's eyes widened and he really would have loved to turn and bolt away from the building if Sora hadn't touched his arm.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Sora asked and his fingers curled in the downy fabric of his friend's shirt. When the brunet had said his name, the redhead turned around—his eyes widening and smirk growing.

"He–ey, I know you! You're that cutie from Riku's place. How's it goin', Sora?" The red-haired male grinned lopsidedly while the blonde next to him turned around, still sipping his drink.

"What are you doing here?" Riku questioned his cousin with a discontented look on his face. His head was already hurting, and Axel had barely said a word to him.

"Uh, drinking coffee? Why wouldn't we be here; it's a public place. I don't stalk you everywhere you go, dude." Axel's short eyebrows furrowed as he snaked an arm around Roxas (the limb was pinched_—"Ow, damn it!"—_and quickly removed.)

"Anyway," Axel continued with a smile as if he wasn't fazed, "We dropped by yesterday, but you were obviously out. Rox wanted to do a little more site-seeing before we tracked you down. I forgot it's his first time here."

Kairi had been watching them and mentioned for Selphie to come over. She came in time to see Axel lean down to peck Roxas on his cheek—which turned slightly red—and his scowl increased. The two women giggled and moved over to the couple.

"It's been a while since we've had anybody be so lovey-dovey," Selphie burbled, but she sent Sora a look that made him go red in the face. He turned to Riku quickly and found that he was glaring at his cousin. Dodged another bullet there. He needed to stop providing his stupid friends with ammunition before they ruined all his hard work.

"I want a hug, too!" Selphie laughed as she squeezed the poor boys tightly enough to make even Axel uncomfortable. Sora watched this and snorted when he realized Riku was laughing at the scene before them.

"Someone get her off!" Roxas sounded a little panicked, but Selphie continued to keep her arms around them until Kairi came over and shook her head. Then she leaned in and wrapped her arms around them as well, teasing them. She only pulled back and laughed when Roxas squawked and reached out to his lover for help. Axel only laughed and escaped on his own.

Sora laughed at the look of fear on Roxas' poor face for a moment before he went over to pry Selphie away.

"This is exactly why I like men," Axel spoke as he staggered back and straightened out his green and black-striped shirt. Selphie didn't seem fazed by this, and greeted Sora and Riku before wandering off to the kitchen, to do whatever it was that she normally did.

Now that they were finally free, Sora placed a hand on the redhead's arm and laughed. "You'll get used to them if you stick around long enough. Spontaneous girly squeals, spontaneous girly hugging—it doesn't bother you after a while." He ignored Kairi's half glare/pout look that was directed towards him and smiled.

"It would be better if I was getting a 'girly' hug by you, darlin'." Axel teased and poked Sora's nose with his index finger. The tall redhead noticed glares from both Roxas and Riku and a pleasant laugh blew past his lips. "Ease up. I was only joking. Hey… I hadn't noticed it before, but these two look almost identical, don't they?" Axel marveled, looking back and forth between Sora and Roxas. Kairi joined him at his side and folded her arms in thought.

"Wow, you're right. They could probably pass for twins now that I look at them." Kairi agreed while resting a hand on her hip. The laugh that Axel released was as low as it was disturbing. His eyes rested on Sora and for the second time, he felt violated. So, so violated.

"I don't want to know what you're thinking..." Roxas pulled Sora away from the redhead and guided him towards Riku, who touched Sora's shoulder as he glared at his cousin heatedly.

"Can you stop being a pervert for two seconds? Seriously. There must be another reason for coming all the way out here other than to annoy me and hit on my best friend." Riku sighed, still slightly angry at his flirtatious cousin.

"I already told you. Sight-seeing. Well, to be more specific, we came to visit some of Roxas' friends who live around here. We were just passing through here, so we thought we'd tell you that your mother is coming to see you this Saturday." A wave of joy washed over the redhead as he told his cousin the wonderful news.

It was wonderful for Axel, not Riku. But the look on his face was positively hilarious and well worth the wait.

"Oh… You fucking—" Riku sat down at the counter and let his head drop down against his folded arms. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier? I have a phone for a reason, you know." Riku spoke, muffled. His headache was increasing little by little with every second that passed.

"Well we're here. I figured I'd drop in since I haven't seen you in, what, years? Sorry, bro. Your mom's not that bad, stop being a baby." Axel patted Riku on the shoulder and turned to Sora to see him smiling.

"Your mom's going to be staying for a while? I want to meet her," Sora grinned, highly curious thanks to his friend's reaction. Riku waved a hand at him as he sat up. He looked so tired and upset that Sora wanted to hug him.

"No, you wouldn't. Actually, I take that back—you'd probably get along well. You both have too much goddamn energy than is normal." The silver-haired male frowned and said a few things under his breath that no one else heard.

"Right-o. Have fun with that." Axel grabbed his lover's hand and swung it back and forth as he tugged him towards the door. "It sure was nice meeting you guys. Especially you again." The redhead winked at Sora, who swallowed and chuckled before he bit his lip and poked his fingers together timidly. He was flattered, really. But the only person he could handle teasing him like that was Riku.

Speaking of Riku, he was glaring at Axel while Roxas stood on his tiptoes to hit him upside his head. Riku seemed pleased by this, and Sora was starting to worry about their relationship. Axel wasn't that bad, so he must have just been able to get under Riku's skin more than anyone else.

"Idiot. Think before you speak… Anyway, I agree—it really was great to meet you all. Maybe we'll stop by again soon." Roxas bid his new friends farewell and dragged his boyfriend to the door, pushing him out before he had the chance to respond.

"Those guys are so weird. They're cool, though." Sora admitted while rubbing his nose, but a smile lit his face.

"I should kick that pyro's ass for hitting on you." Riku growled and Kairi giggled from her place behind the counter and Riku could've sworn he heard her mutter something about _jealousy_. He knew that already, though he didn't need anybody else knowing it.

"It's fine. He was just joking, right?" Sora reassured and Riku's brows smoothed out and he gave his normal lopsided smile to the younger male, receiving a cute grin in return.

"For his sake, he better have been." Riku laughed after Sora did, watching the brunet shake his head.

"Guys…" Kairi cleared her throat and rolled her eyes when the two males did not respond. They were too busy watching each other. "If you guys are done making Selphie observe you creepily, would you please answer my question?" When the two males snapped out of the daze they had fallen into, Kairi shook her head and laughed.

"Oh, uh, sorry! Wha-What did you say, Kairi?" Sora asked, sputtering as he walked over to her. With another glance at the Sora's red cheeks and Riku's wandering viridian irises, Kairi folded her arms.

"I _asked _you if you were going to stay at Riku's again. You've been staying there so much its beginning to feel like you live there."

Riku folded his arms against the counter again and glanced away from his friends. He wouldn't mind that. He wouldn't mind that in the slightest.

"I don't know. I've already been there for a while and he's probably sick of me," he flashed the teen a bright smile, but quickly began to fiddle with his fingers, "But I… I kind of wanted to hang out later. If you weren't bust and all." The brunet looked up at Riku with his clear eyes hopeful. Sora caught him staring and decided to make a face. It was a cross between pleasing and something silly, and Riku laughed loudly. People were staring, but he didn't care.

"As if I'm going to say no." Riku sighed at how quickly he had given in, ruffling Sora's hair. In the end, he was unable to bring himself to even want to deny Sora.

He was satisfied just knowing that Sora liked spending time with him.

"That was beautiful," Kairi chuckled and for once she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "Sora, you're probably going to have to get all your clothes and stuff from my house y'know. If you're moving in with Riku," she said jokingly, despite the fact that her words had made Riku's face contort into a confused expression. Sora felt his stomach drop and he sent Kairi a look that made her inwardly cringe.

"I'm not moving—" Sora was cut off by his taller friend, a hand on his shoulder as he looked at the redhead.

"You live with Kairi?" Riku asked and Sora winced.

"W, Well. I… It's actually…"His clear eyes focused on the ground and he shuffled his feet. '_I might as well tell him.' _Sora thought, swallowing and pressing his lips together as he stared at his friend. "I live with her. I have for a while now. It was supposed to be only temporarily until I made enough money for myself, so technically I don't really live anywhere at the moment, but with uni…" He avoided Riku when his sea-green eyes widened.

"Sora, I told you that it's fine! We're like family. All of us…" After Kairi had mentioned to herself and everyone around her, Sora looked at her sadly and forced a laugh.

"It's okay, Kai. I'm still just a burden. People are going to get sick of me freeloading all of the time, I know." Kairi covered her face with her bangs and Riku's fists tightened.

"Why do you still…? That's not true and you know it," she started and had intended to get her point across until the silver haired teen slammed a hand down on the counter.

"That's _not_ true," Riku repeated and his outcry shocked a few of the customers. "You're not just a… A _burden_. What does that even mean? You're our friend, Sora. I can't believe you though you couldn't tell me this. Didn't you trust me?" Riku grasped Sora's thinner hand within his and forced their eyes to meet. Riku was glaring at him and Sora's heart sank when he knew that the other's anger was directed at him. He deserved it, but it still hurt.

"Riku, I—"

The named male inhaled sharply and took a moment to keep his nerves calm and his grip on the brunet's hand tightened slightly. "I don't want you to feel like you have no home or that you can't trust us… Kairi, Selphie, and I—other people, too—we're here. Let us help you. If you really feel like you're troubling her, then move in with me." Riku looked a little less irritated, but that only ease a fraction of the brunet's worries.

"I'm sorry," Sora spoke quietly and Riku pressed his lips together in frustration. How could Sora have acted so carefree with thoughts like that in his head for who knows how long? And what the hell was he apologizing for?

"I wasn't looking for an apology, Sora." The brunet nodded and clasped his hands together without making eye contact with his friends.

"It looks like we really will need to get Sora's stuff," Riku spoke to the redhead while his eyes were still fixed on Sora until the brunet looked up sharply. Kairi's eyes flicked between her two friends and she put on a smile.

"Right. I don't think Sora wants to keep sleeping on my futon. Besides, my covers are too pink and frilly for him." Kairi smiled again. Despite the tense atmosphere, she was just glad that Sora finally had a permanent place to stay. Even though she had willingly let Sora settle at her house, he always seemed lonely and often apologized for getting in the way. That wasn't what she wanted for her best friend. With Riku, he could be at ease.

"I guess we'll stop by tomorrow after class to get his stuff, if that's all right." She nodded and Riku smiled at the redhead when she mouthed a heartfelt 'thank you' to him. "We should probably head out now," Riku glanced at his silent friend and as the two turned to leave, Kairi called out to the teen.

"Riku! Can you come here for a second? There's something in the back that I need you to lift." He shrugged, looked at Sora who pouted and asked Kairi why she didn't think _he_ could help. Smirking to himself, Riku mussed up Sora's hair before he followed Kairi through a door.

"So what do I have to move now?" Riku asked. Kairi locked eyes with him and he blinked when she stayed silent for a few more moments. She looked like she was ready to cry, but he could tell how truly grateful she was. Her arms were around him in a brief hug before she pulled back and wiped under her eyes.

"Thank you, for _everything_. You don't understand how much this is going to help him. He wasn't happy staying with me, I know it. He's my best friend, but somehow he always felt like he was intruding. With you, I know he'll be all right." Kairi paused to laugh, "And don't worry; I know you'll like having him for a roommate just as much." She winked at him and his face was tinted with a bit of pink. He coughed and scratched at his arm, pretending not to hear her.

"I just want to see him happy," Riku spoke. That was the truth.

Kairi's lips twitched upwards into a grin, "We're the same." She folded her hands together and nodded before she pushed Riku's shoulder and let him back out into the main room. Before Riku could make it back to his other friend, he felt Kairi's hand on his arm.

"By the way," Kairi lowered her voice and he leaned closer when she gestured for him to do so, "Try to keep your hands to yourself." Kairi held in a laugh as she waited for the other to take a breath. When he did, she continued. "I'm sure you're really secretive about your feelings. And I know Sora is probably confused. He's always been on the innocent side. But we all can see just what's going on with you two." With another wink, her amusement grew at the flustered way that Riku had begun to sputter.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking towards Sora, who tilted his head in confusion. "Let's get going." He walked away, barely waiting for Sora to gasp and hurry after him.

The silver-haired artist's eyes closed and he shook his head when they could still hear Kairi's laughs coming from the café.

..…..

..…..

The next day, Riku got himself ready for their morning classes while Sora threw on the clothes that he had left to be washed from last time. He was faintly amused that they smelled fresh and thoroughly reminded him of his best friend. It was a good feeling.

He would be feeling this way more often now that he'd be living here. That thought stirred the brunet's emotions up and he felt his chest flutter as he watched Riku walk all over the room. Sora laughed under his breath as the other muttered to himself as he searched around for something.

Even though he looked concentrated, Riku couldn't stop thinking about Kairi's remark: _"Try to keep your hands to yourself!"_

Was he that obvious? Oh well. As long as Sora didn't notice, then it was fine. He'd simply be content with being best friends for the rest of his life. But…did best friends normally sleep in each other's arms? Or leave kisses on the other's forehead while they were asleep? Or think about said best friend constantly? He knew they didn't, but this made him wonder. How did Sora not notice his affections?

"Riku?" Sora had been calling out his friend's name for the past two minutes to no avail. "Hey? You awake in there?" When he still got no response, Sora hopped off the bed and tapped Riku's forehead when he was near, snapping him from his thoughts.

"Oh, sorry. Really, Sora. I'm so out of it right now," Riku muttered and rubbed the abused area.

"Don't worry about it. But we really need to get a move on. I don't think we can just burst in again if we show up late." Sora slipped his shoes on and trotted to the front door. He waved to Riku the other turned to look at him.

"Yeah, let's go." Riku nodded and followed Sora through the door, closing and locking it behind them.

"Only a couple of days left," Riku muttered while he checked his phone as they walked out into the crisp morning air.

"Until what?" Sora asked while he lightly swayed with the wind. The moment he looked back to his friend, he laughed as the wind picked up and whipped Riku's hair all around his face. The other didn't seem too fazed, so he proceeded.

"Until my mother comes down for her little 'surprise' visit." Riku's brows furrowed the slightest as he talked, "She could've at least given me some hints that she was going to come down here. Lucky for me, Axel decided to let me know what she's up to. He's usually not that considerate." Riku grumbled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh, it's not that bad. You keep making her out to be some kind of psycho." Sora sighed, but laughed at his friend's expression a moment later before the taller male shook his head.

"You'll know exactly what I'm talking about when you meet her. I can usually handle being embarrassed, but somehow she just gets under my skin. She knows everything about my, so it's easy for her." Riku scowled, clicking the unlock button on his car keys. If Riku was ever forced to describe his mother in one word, he'd go with 'instigator.' Mainly because she made it no secret that she enjoyed humiliating him until he turned red—with anger or embarrassment depended on what she was tormenting him with. They got along for the most part, but Riku blamed no one but himself for being easily riled up.

"Well, she is your mother. I hope she's okay with me living with you. Do you think she'll like me?" Sora took in a breath and tapped his fingers together as he stood outside the passenger seat of Riku's car. The owner of said vehicle sent him a disbelieving look before they both opened their doors and hopped in.

"Honestly, I think it would be harder for her to try _not_ to like you." Riku was rewarded with a smiling and red-faced brunet due to his words, and he clumsily put the key in the ignition before getting the car started and on the road. Sora was quiet for a long moment, and it was starting to make his friend squirm.

"I was serious, Sora. I don't think you have a thing to worry about. I have yet to meet anyone who would say that you're not worth getting to know. Everyone loves you." When Sora opened his mouth to speak, Riku cut him off with a hand because he knew what was going to come next, "Well, minus Seifer and his crew, but they're douchebags. They don't matter."

When Sora turned to look out his window, Riku frowned. "In all seriousness, Sora…I've been wanting to tell you I'm sorry for yesterday. I didn't mean to snap at you… I just—"

"I'm not forgiving you." At this, Riku felt his throat seal up and his stomach clench. When he snapped his head in Sora's direction, he was confused to find the brunet smiling at him. "You know that I deserved every bit of it. I kept things from you, so you had every right to be mad." Sora drew his lip between his teeth and touched Riku's shoulder. "So don't say sorry. You don't have to."

Riku forced his eyes to the road for safety reasons, but they wanted to be anywhere else—preferably locked with Sora's sky-blue irises. When the hand fell from his shoulder, Riku flashed his friend a brief smiled.

"You're too nice for your own good. Know that? I pushed you and you still… You're unbelievable." Riku's eyes may have been glued to the road, but Sora knew the gentle smile on his face was directed at him. Sora inhaled. His heart was thundering in his chest and he kept questioning Riku on what he meant. But Riku didn't answer.

He just kept that smile on his face even after he pulled into the parking lot and waited for Sora to get out.

"I don't know why you all keep making me out to be some kind of saint." Sora spoke, his eyes serious as he started at Riku. The older put his hand on the top of his car and sighed. Before he looked at Sora, he took a step closer to him.

"You're not a saint. I'm not making you out to be anyone other than Sora. Frankly, I like the little "imperfections" about you. You snore and you drool and you don't give yourself credit when you really deserve it." Riku's hand moved from the top of the car to Sora's cheek and he stared at him seriously once again. "But then there are the good things that make you irresistible. You're always happy. You draw people to you because you care and you _show_that you do. Your personality is…" Riku spoke lowly, his hand combing through Sora's hair, "Beautiful."

"I—" Sora was frozen, even after Riku sighed and pulled away. He was too dizzy and too disoriented to calm the thundering of his heart or try and finish a sentence. That was okay, though, because Riku didn't seem to notice.

"I'll see you after we're done with our classes, 'kay?" Riku said with a small grin and a wave as he walked off in the opposite direction.

"Yeah…" Sora's voice sounded far away to his ears and his hand was heavy as he managed a small wave. He didn't move until he realized that he had somewhere to be and not enough time to get there.

As perplexed as he was, Sora gathered his things and made it to his class only slightly late, but almost everything after that was fine.

The only problem was that he couldn't focus on anything other than vivid green eyes and calloused, but gentle fingers.

* * *

...

"I _hate_ that class."

Riku's brows were creased and there was a red mark on the side of his cheek that only meant that he had been trying to stay conscious only moments before. He was scowling as he met up with Sora and Kairi in the hallway.

"Awh, is Uni life pissing you off already?" The redhead teasingly asked, and Riku offered a tired nod. The silver-haired student blew his bangs out of his face and shuffled his feet as he noticed Sora watching him with a smile.

"Art History has got to be the most boring class I have ever taken in my life," Riku said as he rubbed a hand over his face. He gave Sora a belated greeting and smiled at him until Kairi cleared her throat.

"Stay strong. It'll only take a few more weeks of faking interest before the teachers lose it themselves. Then you can sleep without them even caring," Kairi advised, taking her phone out of her purse when it vibrated.

"You could do that now, even. I don't think they care as long as you show up and get good grades," Sora said around a grunt as he stuffed his book into his bad. Riku shrugged and dropped an arm around his shoulder lazily as they stood around. Sora smiled and leaned into the half-embrace until Kairi put away her cell.

"So, I was going to grab something small from the campus's cafeteria. Anyone want to join? I have a paper to write, though, so I might not be that talkative." Sora rocked on the balls of his feet lightly, and Riku laughed as the brunet's hair tickled his chin. Kairi watched them for a moment, feeling a little envious of their closeness. But she smiled nonetheless.

"You know you're going to procrastinate if you're around friends. But anyways, I'm free. I guess we can meet at the cafeteria if you really don't mind us tagging along?" Kairi shrugged out a suggestion while Riku sighed. "Oh wait, I work today, so could we go to the café instead? We could stay here, but it would be easier for me if we just got something there. Any takers?" Riku shook his head at her suggestion and she shrugged once more in response.

"I'm going to have to pass, Kairi. I'm going to hang out at home and work on some drawings since I'm basically done for the day. I'll just see you later." Ah, the perks of being an art student were many. Or few—since a small number of classes only _sort of_ outweighed the expensive tools and long hours.

"Okay, I'll just meet you at the flat after my shift, then. I get off early, so I can bring back some food for you." Sora grinned and stuffed his hands in his cargo shorts' oversized pockets. Riku smiled at him, but he shook his head.

"Did you forget? I still have tons of food left from that crazy grocery spree." Riku's shoulders rose as he smiled down at his friend, ignoring Kairi's giggle. Sora did nothing but snort even though he was grinning as well.

"Fine, fine. I guess I'll wait until I get home to eat, too. You're making it hard for me to want to work."

"Hey, I'll make you dinner if you can tough it out. I'm not going to lie, I can make a delicious bowl of instant noodles," Riku explained with a sly grin, watching Sora laugh even as he rolled his eyes and slid out from underneath his arm. Riku rolled his eyes in return and pushed Sora's shoulder playfully until the brunet stuck his lower lip out and went to Kairi, who was holding her arms open with a look of mock-sympathy directed at him. Riku made an offended noise as Sora went to her and continued to pout at him.

"Well. There's always fast food." At this, Sora looked sick.

"Kairi, Riku's going to make me eat instant and fast food for the rest of my life. He's trying to make me fat and unhealthy!" Sora whined, letting Kairi hold him. She patted his head playfully before pushing him away and hitting him on the back.

"Suck it up! You're a big boy. If you don't like it, why don't _you_ cook?" She asked. Riku visibly paled.

"Actually, I'll take over for our meals. I'm actually not that bad, if I do say so." Riku danced around the topic delicately, avoiding Sora's scrutinizing stare. Before Sora could retort with anything, Kairi put her hands on Sora's shoulders and started to push him away.

"Okay, you can work off all that extra fat at work, tubby. Let's get going." Kairi paused, leaning in closer so that only Sora could hear her, "You have all the time in the world to spend with him now." When Sora gave her a look, she ignored it and waved to Riku.

"Mind giving Sora a lift?" Riku's answer was a smile and a jingle of his keys as he nodded his head in the direction of his car. Sora followed behind after giving Kairi a thumbs up. She watched him follow Riku closely, saying something to him and touching his shoulder before he hopped into the other's car. Kairi paused. The way Sora looked at Riku—not to mention the way his fingers linger on his friend's shoulder a moment too long—made her wonder if Riku really _didn't_ know how he felt.

But then she shook her head. Both of those boys were oblivious to anything and everything that dealt with their _feelings_. The ones they had for each other, anyway.

Kairi laughed to herself as she walked to her own vehicle, waving to her friends when Riku drove past.

….

After dropping his friend off at the shop, Riku took a little detour before he drove back to his flat. It didn't kill as much time as he had hoped, but he went home anyway. Even though he had been living there alone for a while, it already felt sorely empty without the brunet; it was lonelier than he expected.

Riku sighed and twisted his keys in the door, stepping inside and walked over toward his stack of canvases. He hesitated a moment before he uncovered the painting that Sora had been curious about the day before. He had felt bad that couldn't let him see, but it was the one he had started to sketch the first night h is friend had stayed over—when he had been gracefully entwined in the covers of Riku's bed. What would Sora think if he'd uncovered it? A sketchy piece with him sleeping… That would be hard to explain. He didn't want Sora to think he was a freak or a stalker for sketching a picture of him without his consent.

"It doesn't even come close to the real thing anyway," Riku murmured as he looked the painting over. His eyes trailed over every curve of the painting and he smiled, running his fingers over the watercoloured patterns. Leave it to Sora to be too gorgeous to capture on paper—even photographs didn't do him justice.

Thinking about this was getting him nowhere, so Riku went to his room and yanked out his apron. The dark teal fabric was worn and faded, covered in more paint colours and types than he could identify. He immediately shrugged it on and got to work.

By the time Sora had returned home from his shift, Riku was still heavily immersed in his task.

"I'm back," Sora spoke in a hushed voice as he approached the other. When he heard his friend walk to his side, Riku glanced away from his work and adjusted against his seat to look at the brunet. He had tied his hair into a loose ponytail while his long bangs still fell into his face. Sora thought he looked good, even moreso with the many splotches of paint splattered all over his hands and face.

The floor had been covered in a stained tarp and the artist had his paint tubes and brushes scattered everywhere, while a bundle of paper towels—wet and dry—resided in a large heap next to him. It was a train wreck.

"I hope you don't mind the mess. I get a little too caught up and things get cluttered. Don't be afraid to just kick shit out of the way; it's all practically durable." Riku smiled up at the brunet apologetically until Sora grinned and shrugged.

"Nah, it's small stuff I can step over. No bother." He paused for a minute and snagged another stool from the corner of the room. "Mind if I watch you paint?" Riku looked over at Sora and the brunet bent forward to inspect his current work. While he'd only had teachers lean over him in the past, Riku was sure that Sora wouldn't point out small things and flaws and tell him to get better. Unlike the rest, it felt comfortable having _Sora_ observe his work.

"Be my guest. If you don't get bored easily, I mean." Riku smiled. He leaned over and grabbed the extra, old shirt and tossed it to Sora. "I'm just messing around with the colours right now. You want to try, too?" Sora blinked in surprise at the offer, but he was leaning in next to his friend within seconds, a huge grin on his face as he did so.

"Are you kidding? I haven't painted like this in _ages_! I'd love to, man." Sora slid the tiniest bit closer to his friend and glanced at the canvas, eyeing the strips of colour on it. "Just try not to be too jealous of my awesome skills," he spoke with his chin held defiantly in the air, looking a little lost as Riku handed him a brush and nodded at the white slate. The grin on his face made Sora flush with embarrassment as he looked down at his hand, the paintbrush feeling very foreign within his fingers.

"Lead on then, Van Gogh." Riku snorted teasingly, watching Sora's reactions. He was clearly nervous.

"Um. You know how I was confident a few moments ago?" Riku nodded. "I'm not feeling any of that anymore. Actually, why don't you start off? You're the artist, after all." Sora's smile was wide and pleading, but he deflated slightly when Riku laughed.

"Oh, and you went into this so positive. Here, it's not that hard." Riku grasped Sora's hand after he adjusted the canvas. He shifted, bringing the brunet with him. The paintbrush was positioned above the paper, and Riku smiled as he brought their hands in closer, finally touching it.

"Start like this." Riku's hand moved Sora's in a curved line from the top to the bottom.

"It's a…blue line?" Sora's eyes focused on the canvas and he raised an eyebrow. A noise somewhere between a laugh and a snort escaped Riku and he nodded.

"Nothing gets past you," the older teased with a smirk, and kept moving Sora's hand in different strokes; changing the paint color every so-often until the brunet's eyes finally lit up in recognition.

"Ohhh, I see it now. It's a waterfall. Holy crap." Riku smiled and nodded as he continued to work. When Riku finally deemed the painting complete, he pulled their hands back and smiled.

"Great job, Sora. Look at that." Sora grinned and noticed Riku's hand still clasped around his own, until he took note of how his friend's other arm was wrapped around his back—keeping a light hold on his other bicep. He assumed that it was to help Riku keep his balance; because the awkward angle that the chairs forced his legs apart didn't look all that stable. But even if it was just for support, Sora was happy—among other things.

"It's really striking." The brunet's eyes softened as he looked over the painting, taking in all of the colours and shades. Riku stared at him for a long moment, until he wasn't sure what he was thinking anymore.

"You are, too," Riku whispered inadvertently, still staring at the younger male. His mind felt far away, but it was brought back in an instant when Sora inhaled.

"W-What?" It took the silver-haired boy a moment to catch his mistake, looking away and stuttering when he realized that he had spoken his mind loud enough f or Sora to hear it.

"I… People often say the work of artists reflects their inner thoughts. Their soul, too." Riku hastily removed his hands and glanced away, completely missing his friend's crestfallen expression. Sora was biting his lip, unsure of what to do or what to say.

"You helped, too… But thanks." Riku turned back towards his friend when he caught the disappointment in his voice. His brows furrowed, because he couldn't for the life of him figure out what he'd done to make the other feel that way. He didn't have time to think about it anymore, as the brunet was on his feet and tugging off the paint shirt.

"Sora—"

"Oh, hey! I almost forgot; weren't we supposed to go get my things from Kairi's place?" Sora asked, quickly changing the subject. His hands were clenched around the shirt in his hands, and Riku stared a moment before nodding.

"Yeah. That's right. Want to go now?" Riku sighed in relief when Sora smiled and nodded, but kept his gaze trained on his friend's face for a few more minutes.

'_I'm an idiot…'_ Riku thought, his fists clenching against his lap until he finally stood up. How could his brain let something like that slip past his lips…? Especially in front of _Sora_, of all people. It seemed that every day he lost a bit more of his senses around Sora and he couldn't think straight. If this kept up, he was going to have more problems than just letting his thoughts fly free.

"Riku?" When Riku looked up again, he found Sora waiting expectantly for him in the doorway. His eyebrows were raised in question and he nodded towards the door. "You comin'?"

Riku grunted in affirmation and snatched his car keys before he walked through the door to follow Sora. At least he could reflect on his actions while he was driving.

The journey to Kairi's house was quick and quiet and more tense than either of them had liked. Even after Sora pointed out Kairi's house and they hopped out of the car to her front lawn, the silence was still unbearable. Riku tagged along behind after Kairi invited them in and offered to help out. They packed the brunet's possessions, carrying them to Riku's car and stuffing them where ever they fit. All the while, Riku felt the questioning looks that Kairi kept sending him, but he wasn't about to answer with Sora watching as well.

Overall, the entire trip went without hardly any dialogue aside from Sora talking to Kairi and thanking her for everything before they left. Riku was pretty sure that it was his fault, but he didn't know how to fix it.

"You…don't have that much stuff, huh? That's good. Easy for times like this, you know?" Riku commented suddenly as he started the car and drove back to their flat. He was not going to sit in silence this time around.

"Kairi said the same thing. The majority of my belongings are my clothes, some pictures, and a few things my mother owned." Sora explained with a smile that was a wonderful sight. Riku nodded and decided to just leave it at that as he pulled into the lot.

"I hope I have enough space for all of this. We don't get much storage for things here," Riku voiced his worries aloud as he rubbed his sweating forehead.

"There's a lot of suitcases but the things inside aren't really that big." Sora explained. Riku found this to be true once they unloaded everything. It was with a triumphant laugh that Riku found enough space for everything of Sora's to fit in nicely and still have some room in his drawers left over.

"I guess this is everything, then." When Riku picked up one of the remaining shirts in Sora's suitcase, he felt something shift and slip beneath his hold and—whatever the object was—it landed on his foot.

"Motherfff-!" The teen's eyes snapped shut and with a wince, he shrunk down to pick up the object while massaging his injured foot.

"Riku?" Sora looked over his shoulder as the result of his friend's outburst.

"What the hell is this?" Riku grabbed the frame and hauled it close to his face to inspect it. His anger was immediately replaced with curiosity as he looked over the photo with a smile. It was an old picture of a young woman holding a little boy. Riku almost laughed, because even as a child, Sora had untamable hair. But if that was Sora, then that only meant that the woman holding him was his mother. Riku suddenly felt as if he stumbled across something private.

"That's my mother and I," Sora explained as he leaned over his friend's shoulder. Riku jumped slightly at his friend's sudden presence behind him and he nodded. When he looked up at Sora, the expression on his face was warm, and he could tell that the brunet was reminiscing with one glance at those clear eyes.

"I see…" Riku bit his lip and nodded while he gazed over the photo. "You're mother was beautiful. You both really look alike." Sora smiled at his friend's honesty, tucking away the fact that Riku had pretty much just called him 'beautiful' as well.

"A lot of people would say that to us. Our eyes were the most similar, though." Riku agreed. As he stared at the picture, he realized that there was a lack of a certain father figure. Riku walked over to his dresser and placed it among the few pictures he already had there.

"It fits right in," Riku said, smiling at the photo. When Sora laughed lightly, Riku took the time to let out his curiosity.

"Hey, Sora, what about your dad? I don't think you've ever mentioned him before. He wasn't in the picture, so…" Riku scratched his head, suddenly feeling very sheepish for prying again. Riku failed to notice the way his friend tensed up, as he was looking back at the photo curiously.

"He…" Sora inhaled, "I…don't want to talk about it. I'm sorry." Riku looked over to Sora to see him slightly shaking. Riku was promptly at his side, touching his shoulders as he looked at him seriously. The brunet stilled within his touch for a moment, but he looked away as he knew what the other was going to ask.

"Sora, what—" Sora cut him off with a shake of his head as he touched Riku's hands.

"I'm fine. Honest." Sora articulated as he brushed away his friend's arms so he could lean down to close the now empty suitcase. Riku was slightly hurt, but he didn't let it show. He was too concerned for his friend for his own feelings to matter.

"Sora." He wasn't fine—Riku knew that and he urged his friend silently, but the brunet really didn't want to talk about it judging by the tone in his voice and the way his body and movements had tensed up.

"I'm tired, Riku. I kind of want to go to bed early. We can talk more tomorrow," Sora grabbed the pillow he had brought and moved towards the small living room and Riku's eyebrow rose slightly. He understood his friend's feelings, all except the one that was leading him in the other direction.

"Where are you going?" He finally asked. Sora turned around with a smile and tilted his head to the side.

"To take the couch. I don't want to force you out of your bed, Riku. You're letting me live here, so I'm more than happy to sleep there!" The brunet hugged his pillow a little tighter and Riku smiled.

"Have you forgotten that we've shared a bed before? You know you're welcome to take the other side," Riku offered gently and patted space on the mattress that was next to him. "I get one side, you get the other. I'd be a shitty roommate if I just let you take that lumpy sofa every night."

Sora's breath stilled as he thought about the consequences that would arise should he accept. Many things could go wrong, but he couldn't bring himself to care with Riku looking at him like that.

"Okay," Sora agreed, smiling shyly. He moved to the left side of the bed, facing the window, and climbed between the sheets and pulled them up to cover his body up to his nose—the sight made the other male laugh loudly. If Sora wasn't the most adorable nineteen-year old _ever_ then he'd love to see who was.

"G'night, Ri." Riku rose to his feet and smiled down at his brunet friend. He stood there for a moment, keeping their eye contact, before he ruffled his friend's hair playfully.

"Goodnight, Sora." Riku paused for a moment until he decided to get up and stroll into his kitchen to get something to drink. He checked the calendar… However happy he was that it was thursday, that still meant that there was just one more day until his mother would be visiting. Visiting and making life hectic, as she always did.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, pulling at a strand before he tipped back his beverage.

'_I'll jump off a bridge if my mother does anything embarrassing around Sora__…Please let everything go smoothly.'_Riku silently prayed to whatever higher power was listening before he trudged off to bed.

Sleeping next to Sora, knowing that it was going to be this way for a while… Riku smiled, feeling overwhelmed and happier than he could ever remember being.

It was a pleasant feeling.

…

The next day went by rather unceremoniously.

Riku was already growing tired of his early morning classes—well, not the classes themselves, but the act of getting up and getting ready for him. The only time he looked forward to now was when he got off.

Which was right now.

From his usual seat at the counter, Riku looked around the café. All the regulars were it, but Sora wasn't their waiter. He was on clean-up duty. But unlike all the other times he'd take a break to talk to his friends, this time he busily continued on with his tasks. _This time_ Sora was quieter and people noticed. Even people like Tidus and a few of his friends, who had hardly ever stopped in, had asked if the brunet was okay when they saw him. Of course, he'd answer with a smile and say he was just peachy.

Riku, Kairi and Selphie knew otherwise.

"Hey, what did you do?""Kairi asked. She appeared in front of Riku in an instant without him knowing. He was startled, so he pushed back off the counter and gasped. Then an indignant sound emitted from the silver-haired male's throat.

"Why would you assume that _I _have done something?" He inquired slowly, and his eyebrows lifted at the look he was receiving. She had pulled him aside—when he was on his way to find out the answer to that particular question—to lecture him?

"Sora doesn't act this way, and you know it. Did something happen last night?" Riku focused down on his notebook doodle and shrugged.

"Not really… Everything was fine after we got back and unpacked his things. I found a picture of his mother in his suitcase and commented on how they look alike. Did it occur that Sora is capable of having bad days, too?" He asked blandly, leaning against the counter once again.

Kairi frowned. "No. Anything else?" Riku sighed, but racked through his head just to get her off his back.

"I also asked about his father since he hadn't really said anything on the subject, but he seemed tense so I didn't go any further. If I had to guess, I think that would relate to his current mood. Was that….wrong?" Riku explained and Kairi made a small noise, placing her head against her hand and rubbed over her face.

"Oh," Kairi whispered tiredly. Riku looked up at her and found that he didn't like that response.

"What did I do wrong this time?" Riku asked, his gaze lowering to the floor as his eyebrows furrowed with shame. Kairi shook her head and adjusted the ring that was on her finger.

"It's not your fault. It's no one's but _his._ Please, Riku… Don't talk about fathers in front of Sora. Please, just…" She avoided her friend's questioning stared and frowned. Riku got the message though, but he only wished that it could have been relayed a little bit _earlier_. Now, for the record, there would be no more mentioning of anything family related around Sora. Riku was just too out of the loop and would hate himself even more if he unknowingly brought his best friend more pain.

That was the worst part about not knowing.

"Kairi… What happened?" The look that Kairi gave him was not a pleasant one. Nor was it reassuring in the least, but when she touched his shoulder, he tilted his head slightly.

"What is it?" With certain anxiousness coiling in his stomach, he leaned closer to the red-haired woman until she pulled back and shook her head.

"I can't say." Riku's uncertain look made Kairi's shoulders drop and she lightly sighed again.

"Why, though?"

"It's not something I can talk to you about. You'll have to ask Sora. Just do it only when he's ready to talk… Please don't force him." Kairi spoke. Her expression was one far more serious than Riku had ever seen on her face. He was taken aback by her reply.

'_What makes her think I'd force him?'_ Riku thought with a frown.

"I'd never force him," Riku stated a little too viciously, but his harsh tone didn't seem to upset Kairi. She was smiling now, and it confused the hell out of him.

"I know. I just thought that I needed to say it anyway. A habit, I guess."

After that, Kairi didn't stick around too much, as they seemed to be pretty busy with the work they needed to do. The lack of Sora didn't make him feel any better either. That was probably why he was so elated to see Sora walking out of the building after his shift.

Riku stood up from the seat outside, where he had been waiting for his friend.

"Heya," Sora smiled. His bright expression was stuck on his face ever after he greeted his friend. Sora was in a better mood now and Riku couldn't be any happier or relieved. But there was still something nagging at him.

"Hey, yourself." Riku smiled back, but then his talk with Kairi came back at him full force and he leaned down. Sora looked up at him, confused at the sudden closeness.

"Are you…upset because of something I said yesterday? I'm sorry, I know this is random." Riku scratched his neck awkwardly as Sora looked confused at the sudden question.

"What? Of course not! I…wasn't feeling too great." He lied and winced at how pitiful he sounded, and he purposely fixed his eyes on the silver paint of his friend's car as they approached it.

"Sora… I also wanted to ask you about last—" The older male was interrupted by the vibrating and music coming from his pocket.

"_Come, break me down! Bury me, bur—"_Riku dug through his pocket and pulled out his phone, letting out a loud groan as he looked at the screen. Sora was confused for a moment, but he then had the growing suspicion that he knew who it was. Riku quickly put the device to his ear and answered it.

"Hello, Axel... Yeah, what is it?" Sora could finally hear faintly Axel's nasally voice resonating from the phone.

_"Riku, I just wanted to tell you that your—!"_ After a brief struggle, the conversation was cut short. The dial tone was the only thing able to be heard.

"Axel?" Riku looked at his phone and shook his head in confusion before stuffing the device into his pocket. "What the hell? He seriously needs to find better things to do with his time." Riku spoke, irritated, as he opened the passenger door to his car. Sora only snorted as he stepped into Riku's car and clicked his seatbelt on. The ride back was quick, due to his friend's plea to hurry home so he could get his stomach to stop vocally protesting its hunger.

"Oh, Jesus. It sounds like an alien. That is _not_ normal." Sora glanced down at his stomach and covered it with his arms before they reached the front door. He thrust his bottom lip forward as he heard Riku laughing as he sauntered up behind him. Ignoring the next comment his friend made, Sora impulsively twisted the door knob and found that it was open. That was weird. Riku normally locked it…

A feeling of dread settled in the pit of his stomach as he looked up at his friend.

"The—The door is… You locked it when we left, didn't you?" Riku frowned at this and pushed Sora behind him.

"Yeah, I definitely did." He slowly nudged open the door, peering inside carefully. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He took another step forward, standing protectively over Sora.

"Wait here," Riku warned quietly. The silver-haired male cautiously stepped into his flat and peered around, and came to a stop in the middle of the room when he noticed nothing was out of the ordinary. As soon as Sora moved to enter the flat, he saw a dark figure latch itself onto Riku.

"Riku—!" Sora cried out at the same time the intruding figure did, and his eyes widened while Riku staggered and fell to the floor. Sora fumbled into the room and turned on the lights, frantically looking for something to grab until he heard giggling. Giggling that would not ever belong to an intruder or murderer of any kind. It was happy and feminine and not threatening in the least.

When he finally looked over to his friend, he realized that a woman with long blonde-white hair, which was tied back, as smiling cheekily up at Riku as she latched onto his abdomen. The dread was long gone and replaced with confusion, then slow understanding as he watched the two interact.

"Mom?"

Both of their incredulous looks made the woman laugh before she hugged her son a bit tighter. Then she stood up and tugged at his arms until he fumbled upwards. Riku paled. She was here…

Unfortunately for him, she had come early.

A few _hours_ too early.

...

**End - Chapter 7**

...

* * *

Being an art student is expensive…

BUT ANWYAY :D

Yeah. I just want to say that I'm having fun rewriting these chapters. I'm dealing them out faster than I thought I would. Which is weird, because I normally procrastinate and/or am busy with other stuff. But really, I have work this week, so I'm not sure how much time and motivation I will have to work on the rest. But I will try my hardest! This chapter is clumsily edited, so I'll work on it again when I have the time, but I'm okay with it for the most part.

And to the person that wanted the conflict… There will be some :D  
I just don't know when OTL But trust me, it's not going to be all fluffy all the time.

**I DON'T OWN THE CHARACTERS, BTW. EVERYONE HERE IS COPYRIGHTED BY SQUARE ENIX.  
**

Anyway. Please review~! I want to thank everyone who already reviewed so much! My mom had to ask me why I was smiling so much all day OTL It's because of you guys ;u; I love you all so much 3

Baked Alaska is a dangerous food. According to the Sims, anyway. I've lost a lot of ovens that way…


	8. This is how you remind me

.….

**Be My Last**

**-Chapter 8-**

.….

* * *

_~  
When you walk away,  
you don't hear me say:_

_Please—_

_Oh, baby,_

_don't go._

* * *

...

Riku was sure his eyes were as wide open as they could possibly get.

He knew this, because they were starting to water and burn and it hurt like a bitch. There wasn't any reason why he should be staring down at his mother. Unless of course, these past few wonderful days spent with Sora were a dream and he was now waking up to this horror—which was plausible—because life had that funny way of screwing with him. She shouldn't be here, regardless.

But she was. Standing and smiling and waiting patiently to speak, but that was even more unsettling.

"…What are you doing here?" Riku questioned, not wanting to disappoint. He patted himself of the back for sounding calm while he felt otherwise. The woman leaned her head to the side slightly while raising an eyebrow at him. Sora suddenly knew where Riku got the habit.

"I'm visiting my baby to make sure he's getting by okay. Isn't that what mothers are supposed to do?" Riku squirmed and tried to remove himself from her death grip once she wrapped her arms around him again. While sparing a glance at his best friend who was still standing near the door, Riku frowned. Sora looked a little uncomfortable being all-but forgotten, and his eyes were on the ground after he watched Riku's mother hug him once more and press a kiss to his forehead before she backed off.

Riku suddenly felt like he was wronging Sora by pushing his own mother away. Sora didn't even have that luxury anymore…

"Mum…" Riku started, sighing as he walked over towards Sora, giving him a brief smile before he turned back towards his mother. "You do know that other parents at least notify their sons before they drop in earlier than scheduled. Instead of making them think their flat has been broken into and _robbed_. I almost pissed myself." At her son's flat response and withering look, she placed a hand on her hip.

"Who says I have to initiate everything?" The woman smiled, revealing straight, white teeth—which helped Sora realize just where Riku got his perfect smile from. The charming bastards.

"But really, that's neither here nor there. Your sister got sick and I felt had to keep checking in on her before I left, so it slipped my mind even after I was on the plane. Your cousin contacted me first and said he was already in the area, so that distracted me, too. I figured I'd just surprise you. Now shut up and introduce me to your friend," she smiled and pinched Riku's cheek. Sora pressed his lips together to hold back the rest of his choked laughter when Riku glared at him.

"Stop it," he garbled, pulling away as he batted at her hand. He then turned to Sora and touched his shoulder, ignoring the small jolt that coursed through him when his fingers slid a little too close and touched the soft skin at the base of his friend's neck. Sora twitched slightly. Riku did, too.

Both hoped the other didn't notice.

"This… This is my best friend." Riku explained with a smile, "His name is Sora. Please don't embarrass me in front of him." Riku's smile grew pleading as he stared at his mother, who only raised a thin eyebrow in response. Then she smiled. Riku's own fell with his shoulders a bit and he rolled his head back to shake and look up at the ceiling in misery.

Sora watched them for a few moments. Somehow, the feeling of jealousy that he'd been dreading and expecting to come with the visit of this woman didn't fester within him at all. He was envious, yes, but not in a way that crippled him from wanting to get to know his friend's mother. She was…interesting. They both were.

"I…" Sora fidgeted and pulled on the end of his shirt nervously after he was caught trying to sneak away. "Hi there," he smiled, giving a small but friendly wave to rid himself of the awkwardness as she stared at him. He scratched his neck awkwardly as he took in her form, finally—from her glossy hair to her slender and defined facial features—and he smiled when he could see the slight resemblance between the two even more. Their eyes were especially similar. Though, Riku's eyes had a little more blue to them. (Sora felt biased for preferring Riku's teal pair as he compared them, but he couldn't help it.)

Sora also couldn't help but be reminded of his own mother, and that only made him feel all the more happy.

"Hello dear," the woman smiled.

"You're every bit like I thought you'd be, ma'am! Riku's told me a lot about you," Sora spoke with a sly, taunting glance at his friend, who looked like he was panicking. "But like he said, I'm Sora." He offered a hand.

The woman's lips parted and Riku groaned before he ever realized it was coming.

"When Axel told me there'd be more than just the two of us here, I wasn't sure what to expect. This…" Sora was confused by her words, his hand dropping and he felt suddenly nervous. Or perhaps scared was a better word.

Did she hate him already?

"This sure as hell beats what I was imagining, believe me! Drop that hand, darling," with a long and elegant stride—fully ignoring Riku's '_Oh, good god'_—she walked over to the poor brunet and brought him into an embrace as well. Sora coughed, surprised and relieved at the same time, even though he was turning slightly blue within her iron grip. Was this woman really Riku's _mother_? They acted so differently, in a way that made Sora have a hard time believing they were even related.

Riku shook his head and watched Sora move a strand of the woman's hair from his face. The silver-haired male knew this was coming—since his mother had the tendency to surround herself with all things 'charming' or 'striking.' And Sora was more than worthy of her little standards, in his own biased opinion.

"That's enough, mum… When people turn blue, you let go. Remember? The less lawsuits the better." Riku watched Sora's shocked expression melt away to reveal smile that made his chest tighten almost painfully. The blush now on his friend's cheeks reddened when Riku's mother giggled after releasing him, though her arm was still around his neck. That sight of him didn't help his breathing in the slightest, sadly.

"Oh, but you're lucky to have such a nice little friend. I'm jealous! And slightly worried. You never tell me anything about the people you hang around these days." Her smile was wide as she faintly loosened her vice grip on Sora's neck until he coughed, hoping the woman would notice how his face continued to change colour from the lack of air.

"I wonder why that is," Riku spoke around a laugh as he removed his mother's arms and hauled her back. "And he's not only my best friend; he's my roommate, too. Could you _please_ release him so he can continue on with that?"

"Oh? Oh! I'm sorry, dear. I was just so happy… How rude of me. Like you said, Riku, can't have another lawsuit!" She winked as she took a step back and folded her hands in front of her and then bowed, still looking as happy as ever. Sora was beginning to wonder how Riku could stay so grumpy around her. But now that he looked, that moody look he had on his face was so far from his normal calmness that it was hilarious. He was like a little kid.

But about this lawsuit matter…

"Don't mind me, sweetheart. If I'm being too clingy, just say so. Riku does all the time," she pouted, narrowing her eyes at her son. Riku huffed and leaned back against the wall, ignoring her. Sora chuckled under his breath. This certainly was a new and…interesting side of his friend.

"But he's a pansy, so let's ignore him right now. Sora, right? Such a beautiful name, I can't get over it," she praised, smiling as she ruffled his hair. Déjà vu, Sora thought. Her touch was gentle like a mother's should be, but he was reminded of his best friend's hand repeating that same motion like it always did and he smiled. Riku's had felt different somehow… This was nice, too, but Sora almost missed the feel of Riku's larger hand. He coughed at the thought and fought desperately against a flush he felt rising up to his cheeks.

"Uh, thank you, my mother was all about unique names," the brunet laughed. "Speaking of, what…what should I call you?" Sora asked, feeling a little impolite that he hadn't asked for her name yet.

"Me? Well, you can just go ahead and call me 'mum.' It's what I normally answer to," she paused to giggle lowly, "Aside from that, my name is Lira. It seems we all have odd names." The woman curled her fingers and tapped them against each other while Riku internally groaned. The woman's delight grew as she watched Sora fidget nervously under her scrutinizing stare.

"Aside from that… You mind telling me how you two met? I know Riku hardly ever talked about his friends in middle school; shy boy, really. But you seem so outgoing and sociable. I'm curious now. Did you meet through a class?"

"_Mum_," Riku's only faintly annoyed tone earned him an innocent look from his mother and she batted her long eyelashes.

Sora laughed and waved a hand towards his friend, "No, it wasn't through a class or anything like that. It's kind of a funny story, actually…kinda… I accidentally spilled tea all over him the very first time he came into the café where I work and I was scrambling all over the place like an idiot because I thought he'd hate me, but he didn't and then we just sort of hit it off, so to speak, and I..." Sora trailed off, flushing as he realized that he'd begun to ramble.

"The rest is history and all that?" Riku supplied. Sora then grinned up at his friend, whose face had also taken a light shade of pink right under his eyes. Sora wanted to stare at that rare expression forever, but he couldn't bring himself to when Riku's mother was smiling at him in a way that made him feel like she _knew._

"I see! Of all the ways to meet, that has got to be the craziest. Minus what happened earlier today. Even so, you two really seem close. I like that. Riku needs a good friend like you, Sora." She fixed a stray hair on Sora's head and walked into the center of the living room to glance over his furnishings. Meanwhile, Sora's thoughts were scattered—just like his feelings. Her words had struck him and he stood frozen, snuffing out the urge to look over at his best friend.

"I'm sure he feels the same way about it as you, hun." Lira was smiling again when Sora looked at her. Still, the urge to turn towards Riku pulled at him.

Why was it that everyone could see right through him? They seemed to see _straight_ into his heart so that he felt that he could keep no secrets.

"I just…" Sora swallowed thickly, finally tilting his gaze up in time to meet Riku's. As he caught his friend looking, Riku smiled. Sora soon found himself unable to breath properly, so he looked away. This couldn't be healthy… He had to calm down before he said or did something stupid. With Riku's mother here also, he wasn't sure how _she'd_ react.

"I see you still keep your artwork cluttered everywhere, you animal." Sora was grateful for Lira's sudden interruption. She 'tsked' and then chuckled when another grunt emanated from her son's throat. He wasn't really focusing on her, though. Riku took a step closer to his best friend and ignored his mother for a moment.

"Sora—"

"Do you mind if I take a peek at some?" Before Riku could give her an answer, she began to browse through his paintings and sketches. He let a huff of air escape his throat, irritated, but focused back on his friend.

"Hey, careful with those," Riku warned offhandedly as he hovered above Sora and gave him a confused look. Sora seemed to be avoiding him. The way his eyes darted around the room without meeting his was enough of a sign. '_Is it because of my mother?'_ The thought came to him suddenly, but still made his heart fall a bit. Sora had told him it was all right, and even expressed his desire to meet her, so he thought it would be okay. But now he was still unsure—Sora was being polite as usual, but awfully quiet.

"I'm okay, Riku." Sora smiled, mentioning for him to go watch over his mother. Riku gave a short nod after a few moments and reluctantly turned and walked away. He missed Sora's expression as he went to monitor Lira, restlessly watching as she shifted through his artwork. Sora noticed her smiling to prove how content and pleased she was, and that somehow made him feel proud of his best friend.

The silver-haired male flinched however, when her eyes darted to go to the covered painting that was poorly hidden between the wall and the dark filing cabinet in the farther corner of the room. Riku cursed. Green tarp against a white wall wasn't the least bit conspicuous, so that was kind of his fault to begin with. But her snooping was also a big part of his growing paranoia.

"That's… I'm not done with that one yet." He reached out knowingly and grabbed her arm to pull her back gently until she touched his hand, reassuring him.

"That's all right. I still want to see it. I'm sure it's still beautiful even half-finished, hun." Lira patted his hand before she plucked his fingers away and turned back to the brunet, "Riku has such talent doesn't he, Sora?" Sora nodded in agreement and folded his arms behind his head proudly.

"Sure does. Everything's so precise. I can't sit still long enough to even come close to what he does," Sora laughed when he caught Riku's expression. Lira smiled and rested a hand on the brunet's shoulder when he moved to her side. When Sora praised Riku, she could see that he responded differently than when anyone else had done it. His eyes were so bright and proud…even if he looked like he wanted to run and hide.

"Ditto. He doesn't get it from me and my ADHD, that's for sure. It's a wonder. But anyway, would you happen to have a favourite painting of his, Sora?" As he was questioned, Sora nodded glanced around until he spotted the painting Riku recently made of the tree they had fallen asleep under. He reached up to trace a few fingers over the tiny hand-drawn flower petals, remembering how soft they felt as the two laid over them on the ground. Then he remembered waking in his friend's arms.

"This one… It looks just like the real thing." His studying eyes focused solely on the painting, and the corners of his lips twitched into a fond smile. Lira looked surprised for a moment, whether it was from the brunet's words or something else, Riku didn't know. His expression alone would have been enough, because that's what was keeping Riku's focus captive.

"It looks so familiar… I can't say that I've been there or not with my shitty memory, but I want to now," Lira set her purse against the sofa cushion and walked over next to Riku, who folded his arms. She made a noise when Riku bumped into her, and she looked up at his smirk. After laughing and pinching his arm, Lira looked at him expectantly.

"What about you; you've got to have one that you feel the most proud of. Put that modesty aside for a minute, won't you."

Riku shrugged, feeling a little self-conscious. At least, he did until he saw Sora watching him and suddenly had a thought. He looked around slowly before his eyes rested on a particular painting. He pointed to the painting of the waterfall surrounded by grass and a few trees—it was the painting he had helped his friend with. Sora remembered it well, even after he'd seen Riku touching it up in his spare time. It had felt like he'd gotten to know Riku on a deeper level, sharing those final dabs of brush to paper with him. It was something his friend loved, so how could he not be interested?

"If I had to choose, I'd say my favourite is that one over there."

Sora blushed and glanced at his friend and he received a gentle smile as their eyes met.

"I should have guessed. Your landscape pictures are the ones I'd see you drawing the most. Even at home, I still have a few of your sketches." She smiled, going quiet until her eyes rested on the covered painting once more and she inched towards it. Riku noticed and frowned.

"Mom—"

"Oh, _please_? I still really, really want to see what this is! Just a quick glance, darling, and I'll be satisfied. You know how nosy women are," she extended her hand out to pull on the cover of the hidden canvas. Riku reached for her arm.

"Wait! Stop—"

Riku choked as he grabbed her and tried to yank it away, but she pulled the cloth and the canvas backwards with the motion, so it was futile either way. He'd just basically unveiled the damn thing himself—for that, he wanted to scream or pull his hair out or even throw himself onto the still wet painting. Anything was better than them seeing. Still, in the end, the sheet had fallen to the floor and lay at their feet, painting exposed.

Riku felt like an idiot—not just for getting so worked up, but for forgetting to store it out of sight in the first place. He turned away, his glare fixed on the floor. There was a small tinge of pink on his cheeks, however, but he felt his hair was hiding that well enough.

Twin gasps forced their way past both Sora and Lira's lips as they stared at the panting. It was the half-finished picture of Sora sleeping peacefully in Riku's bed. Lira stared at the picture and blinked, walking forward and crouching so that she could run her fingers over it.

"It's so…accurate. How in the flying hell did you _paint_ this?" Lira's delight was obvious, as well as the satisfied tone in her voice. Sora didn't say a word—but his face flared up and he turned his head in order to look at his friend.

"Riku. I, I—"

Riku's brows furrowed and he turned his gaze away as he hurried out an explanation, "It's weird, I know. Go ahead and laugh, but… I…I watched you while you were sleeping one day, and it felt as if I just _had_ to draw you. You looked so," he paused and Sora's sky-blue irises burned into his own pair. The silver-haired artist's heart drummed against his ribcage painfully and he struggled to breath. He had every reason to be nervous. What would Sora think of him now?

Even with that thought, he still had an answer to give.

"Drawable," he finished lamely even as the word 'breathtaking' almost slipped out instead. But both he and Lira gazed at Sora as he kneeled down to inspect the painting.

"No, I… It's amazing, but… I don't look anything like that." Sora's eyes were taking in every detail they possibly could.

"What do you mean?" Riku asked, wondering if he'd messed something up. All those years of anatomy study crumbled at his feet as he felt strangely insecure, but he still knew that there was no way that he could do his friend justice through a bunch of oil pastels.

"I'm not this…perfect." Sora ran his fingers along the painting and his wide eyes softened.

"Sora. You—" Lira put a hand over Riku's mouth and he scowled down at her as she interrupted him.

"Darling, you're every bit as handsome as this painting and then some, believe me. Riku has an eye for these things. This is how he sees you," she tried to clarify, sending Riku a look before smiling at the brunet. Riku said nothing as he removed her hand. His eyes were trained on Sora, studying him carefully. He took in his mesmerized expression, but he couldn't figure out what that meant the other was feeling.

"I don't know what to say…" Sora trailed off. He felt strangely choked up, so he didn't let Riku or his mother see his face as he stood up and inhaled. After calming himself, he turned back and found Riku staring.

"Just forget it, really. I never intended for anyone else to see it… But you said you wanted to, so I couldn't get rid of it." Riku shrugged and stuffed a hand into his pocket. There was no way they were going to just forget this. He knew it, but there was no harm in trying to let it slide.

No much was said after that. Lira had wandered around some more, looking at all the artwork in the room while Sora stood in his same spot. The brunet scratched his arm as he looked at Riku. The other was staring at him again, but this time it felt different than normal. Out of all the times he caught Riku staring, this was the only one where he couldn't quite figure out what the look _meant_. And it did mean something—he knew it. He could tell that just by the look in those stupidly bright eyes.

"I'm glad I came to visit," Lira spoke out of the blue. Her voice broke the silence and Riku flinched harshly as it was unexpected. A smile crossed his face, however, and he gave her a nod and a small 'yeah' in return. "But I also came because it's about that time they set up the fall fair. There are probably tons of things they want to do and get rid of before the snow hits. Your sister wants some stuffed animals or something, so I told her I'd check it out."

Lira's subject change was obviously in order to drop the subject before the atmosphere got too tense. There was clearly more than friendship going on with these two, whether they fully realized it or not. It made her happy, knowing how much her son cared about someone—and how much he was cared for in return. She'd always had a small, nagging fear that Riku'd end up alone. He never really let anyone in… But she had a feeling that wasn't the case this time.

"So…?" Riku urged raising an eyebrow, although his eyes were still on Sora. The older male inhaled sharply when his friend glanced at him again and then quickly averted his eyes.

Lira saw this as well, but decided not to comment with anything other than, "Well, why don't we go? Since we have Sora, it will be even better. You don't have to run around and avoid me like you used to do. Besides, I want to get something for you boys too, since I haven't seen _you_," She pointed to Riku, "And you're the sweetest, most charming boy who's ever been friends with my idiot son." She pointed at Sora. The brunet blinked, especially when her arm draped around his shoulder. He was smiling a moment later, so Riku visibly relaxed.

"I don't really need anything—"

"No." Riku stated blandly, cutting the mumbling brunet off and his mother frowned, moving her white hair out of her face.

"And just why not?" She walked over to him and folded her arms, eyeing him.

"Because I don't want to," Riku eyed her back, frowning only slightly as she laughed and poked him in the ribs. Riku twitched.

"That's not a real answer. Tell me why, or I'll drag you along anyway." She repeated, grinning when he hesitated.

"I just…don't. You'll just find more ways to humiliate me. Besides, we're not little kids anymore." Riku rubbed his temples while Sora chewed on his lower lip. Riku was obviously on edge with his mother around and he didn't want to do anything to set him off.

"Come on, wouldn't it be fun? You've gone before, haven't you? We could get a crapton of funnel cakes and get out and have fun, man!" Sora offered, staring at his socks as he fiddled with his fingers. "You seem so tense lately. I want you to relax, even for a little while. It's something different, you know?" Sora coughed after he said this, finding that he couldn't handle the look Riku gave him.

"See? Sora wants to go, too. It's two against one, loser." Lira elbowed her son roughly in the side and smirked when he wheezed and grabbed the offended area. She obviously still had no problem with being a little violent with her son—even though all he had to do was nudge her and she'd go flying. He'd never hurt her, of course, but sometimes it was tempting when she damaged his pride.

"Why don't we? It's been a while since I…" After one glance at his friend, Sora's lips twitched into a grin. Riku was cracking—his pensive expression showing this. The silver-haired male sighed and folded his arms, although he knew that he was already fated to agree to their demands. (Though the demanding was mostly on his mother's part.)

"No." Sora inwardly cursed. Riku was a stubborn guy when he wanted to be.

"But—"

"Nope."

And then Sora's eyes got big and his lips parted and he looked as if he would cry. Or burst. Since Riku wanted neither, he caved.

"Gah, fine, Jesus! If you want to go, we'll go. Just stop with the looks." Riku groaned, but then smirked as he flicked his mother in the forehead as she made to grab his arm out of excitement. She squeaked and stumbled a little bit, so that helped his pride begin to heal.

"Why you can't go yourself is beyond me, but fine. Whatever pleases your little hearts. It's not until six, so we have to find something to do until then. I'm not going to enjoy being there, though." Riku stated again, trying to look miserable, but it failed when Sora made a face that made him laugh. He gave up, a purposeful glance towards his mother and she immediately retracted her fingers away from where they had been poking her son's arm. Lira had a pleased look on her face while Sora looked positively ecstatic. Riku's chest felt warm and light and he didn't know why he'd disagreed in the first place.

"Thanks Riku," Sora rubbed at his nose as he expressed his gratitude. Riku only laughed and shoved him, reaching out to mess up his hair a moment later after Sora shoved him back.

'_What would I do without them…?'_

He had the distinct feeling that he'd never want to find an answer to that.

One hour, thirty minutes, and an unknown number of seconds later, Riku found himself face down on his mattress; his face was buried into his pillows as far as it could.

"I _swear to God_, I'm not related to you." It had hardly been enough time to say that she'd been driving him up the fucking wall, because normally it took a lot longer than an _hour_. Riku guessed that it was because Sora was in the picture now, so she couldn't shut up. No, she _wouldn't_. He understood that they were both friendly, but there had to be a limit to how much conversations could take place within a small frame of time. Sora had either an extremely high endurance, or he was just really good at ignoring her. He at least _looked_ like he was interested in what she was talking about.

"Oh, come on Riku. Live a little." The woman grabbed the free pillow and beat her son with it once. Sora grinned as he copied the action a moment later after his friend groaned. Riku grabbed the pillow from his attackers and stuffed it under his stomach so it was unobtainable.

"No. Go away."

"You're acting just like a bratty teenager! Unlike Sora. Sora's a good boy. He likes me," her arms wrapped around the brunet and Riku mumbled into his pillow. However muffled it was, it sounded an awful lot like, _"He's too nice not to."_

"Hm. Did I hear you correctly?" Lira asked as she arched an eyebrow at her son.

"No. You're senile and imagining things. I think that's a sign you should go home and get a hearing aid." the viridian-eyed teen muttered and turned to grin at her after she gasp and swatted his shoulder.

"You are an ass," Lira frowned, sticking her lower lip out as Sora kept back a snort and moved to the other side of the bed and sat down next to his lump of a roommate.

"I know. Anyway, how long do you plan on staying? The weekend?" Riku asked when he remembered that he had spotted her large bag resting near the end table in the living room. She'd always had it with her on her trips, so he smiled at the brief wave of nostalgia that hit him.

"More or less. I was planning to leave on Monday morning at the very latest. I figured you'd like a decent meal once in a while, and I can keep myself busy while you're at your classes. That might not even be necessary, since Sora seems to be able to cook well. You work at a café. Wasn't that right, dear?" Riku groaned at the mischievous smile that appeared on her face as Sora slowly nodded.

"Sweet Christ…" Riku whined into his pillow and Sora laughed while his hand massaged his friend's back reassuringly.

"Hey, relax." He poked Riku in the sides and the older boy twitched a bit.

"Ho-ho. Does Sora know that you're very ticklish around your…everywhere?" Lira smirked and gave Sora a playful look that, much to Riku's dismay, the brunet returned. The only difference was that he didn't look terrifyingly _wicked_, like the woman standing next to him as he still leaned on the bed.

"I do now," the brunet spoke, slowly turning his gaze on his best friend. Riku swallowed thickly. No way. They were far too old for these kinds of childish things, weren't they? They were in college and his mother was a grown woman, for god's sake. There was just no _way_! Riku swallowed again.

"H-Hey, wait." Riku sent a skeptical look at his mother, trying to see if she was for real. Once she smiled again, Riku tried to get up and away from her before she grabbed him and pushed his back down. Her strength was brutal—Sora was surprised she could even force someone like Riku down.

"Whoa—what _is_ this?" Riku managed to gasp between his laughter, "You're tickling me!"

"No shit, Sherlock." Lira's laugh was taunting and very contagious, as Sora quickly joined her. Only Riku's mother would be able to bring out this side of Riku. Sora was at a loss for words as he watched his friend kick and thrash as his mother tortured him. Somehow, it was too funny.

"_Why_ are you tickling me, I meant, damnit?" Riku tried to sound serious, but it was overlooked and replaced by his snorts of laughter. This was even more humiliating than her tackle-hug from when she'd first arrived. Except this time he couldn't even force her away for fear of accidentally hurting her. It was either full force or nothing when she got like this.

This was it. Riku felt the last remains of his dignity slowly slipping through his fingers.

No twenty-year olds got pinned down and tickled to near-death by their mothers. In front of their best friend.

It was sad.

'_Very, very sad,' _he thought. He felt the tail-end of his pride finally slip through his fingers. It wasn't even salvageable anymore.

But as Lira finally moved to get off, he didn't find it to be such a bad thing when Sora took over. The brunet quickly threw a leg over him and sat on his thighs, preventing him from escaping and pressing down on his shoulders. Riku was surprised, but not enough to want to push the other away.

But then again, he was afraid he'd be rather turned on if he didn't move soon.

"This is payback for yesterday," Sora finally responded. He got in another laugh before his fingers dug into Riku's abdomen and sides. The older male only tolerated the action for a second, as he skillfully overpowered the brunet by flipping him and reversing their positions. This left Sora gasping for breath and dropping his left arm against the mattress, his other grabbing hold of Riku's arm while he was disoriented. Riku watched him shake off the remainder of his dizziness.

"What was that about payback? You really think I'd just let you get even?" Riku asked, grinning when Sora's shoulders rose. The brunet gazed up at his smirking friend and a small whine slipped past his lips.

"Er… yes? Because you're nice?" Riku shifted against him and grinned, proving otherwise. "The bestest friend ever?" He tried again.

Suddenly, he froze. At this distance, Sora felt the heat from Riku's breath tickling his own face. Once again, they were close enough for him to wonder just _why_ Riku wasn't pulling away, or why he didn't find it weird. Surely he could tell that Sora liked the attention more than he should have?

Guys didn't do _this,_ so why…?

'_What is he… why isn't he moving? Or saying anything?' _Sora breathed in, then out slowly as Riku watched him with bright eyes. He was smiling, but there was something calm about the expression that made Sora's hand start to wander upwards, heading for his friend's cheek. It stopped short, however, when a small chuckle broke his attention.

Lira had been watching the two with a growing fascination. With a hand placed on her hip and the other on the door frame, she smiled.

"You know… That could be seen as a very _provocative_ position, boys. Good thing neither of you are like that." She commented, her head tilting as she watched Riku break away from looking at Sora.

"Huh?" Riku looked at his mother, then back at the brunet being straddled beneath him. The taller male's eyes widened in realization and he sucked in a sharp breath. Riku hopped off quickly and apologized awkwardly while Sora just remained on the bed and tried to calm his heart down. Once he finally did, he forced out a cough.

"I'm never getting near you again, jerk," Sora murmured after a few minutes and rolled over onto his stomach. Lira laughed at the brunet's mock-pout and at the huge splotches of clear red on both boys' faces. If they weren't _obvious_, she didn't know what else they could be.

"Fine," Riku laughed, and then turned to his mother while narrowing his eyes, "Now if only I could get _you_ to say that. _P__sycho_. You _like_ torturing me, don't you?"

"Yes, but I gave birth to you and you love me. My beautiful, darling little pansy. I mean child. Pansy child."

"Child of pansies." Sora laughed with Lira after she smiled and she pecked Riku on his cheek. He recoiled.

"Mum, stop that. And I'm not a pansy!" The silver haired male groaned, though his obvious aggravation was dimmed as he watched her smile and fix his hair. If things were going to be like this, he really didn't think he could bear with it for two more days. She treated him like a damn kid. It wasn't that he didn't love her, it was just that she humiliated him to no end – and she enjoyed every minute of it. (The embarrassment had increased ten-fold with Sora there.)

"So are you really going to stay the whole weekend?" Riku questioned, staring at his barely adorned bedroom walls.

"Riku, honestly, I'm not going to terrorize you at every chance I get. Good Lord. Do you treat you mother this way, Sora?" She closed her eyes and pursed her lips, missing both of the boy's reactions.

Riku sat up and bit his lip, his eyes narrowing in sympathy when the brunet's hands started ringing together and he looked uncomfortable. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it a moment later, while Riku tried to subtly get his mom's attention. He didn't get angry at her, however, since she had no idea of what happened.

Riku shook his head after he noticed Lira reaching for Sora once got up off the bed and didn't look back at them for a moment.

"Sor—"

"If we're going to go out tonight, I should probably go get ready. Be right back," Sora flashed a brief smile before he quickly walked toward the bathroom and shut the door behind him. The platinum-haired woman simply kept her baffled gaze on the door until she turned to see Riku's expression. His furrowed brows and sad eyes didn't reassure her.

"What the— Did I say something wrong?" She asked and stood up as Riku shook his head.

"It's not your fault. Sora… He doesn't have parents. From what I know, his mother died and he was really close to her. When I asked about his father, he didn't seem to want to talk about it and was upset. I let it go, because he… I know it's best to drop it. If he wants to tell me, he'll tell me."

Lira stared at the spot Sora had once been. _'What if that takes forever?'_ She thought with a glance at her son as she bit her lip. She had the distinct feeling that Riku _would _wait forever. Sora's happiness seemed crucial to his own.

They were intertwined. She had no doubt of that after a short day spent observing.

"I don't believe it… But he's such a cheery boy. To think he's been through all of that and he's so young. I didn't know…" Lira sat down on the bed and wrung her hands. Her eyes returned to Riku and she noticed the frown on his face and the concern in his eyes.

"It's all right, mum. I know." Riku placed a hand on her shoulder, but his eyes flickered towards the bathroom door more than once.

"Riku, I think you should go talk to him. You look worried, baby." She stared up at her son knowingly and he nodded.

"I…want to be able to help him. Why wouldn't I… I just don't know _how_ to do that. But I'll be damned if I don't at least try," he spoke softly before going to check on his friend. Lira sighed and smiled as she rose to wander into the living room.

'_You've got something special with this boy, Riku. Don't lose that,__'_ Lira thought, feeling s small sense of pride in the way that her son was acting so gentle. The boy was usually so distant and withdrawn that this was a new and welcome change. He hardly cared for anyone the way she'd seen him do for Sora. That's why it only took her a moment to realize she was probably intruding on what Riku wanted to be a private conversation.

Lira turned to Riku and smiled at him and—without a word—she touched his shoulder and turned to leave the room.

After his mother was gone, Riku knocked on the bathroom door and listened closely for a reply.

"Sora?"

Nothing.

"Are you almost finished?"

There was silence for a few moments and Riku inhaled as he ran a hand through his silky hair and let it rest on his neck.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a second." Sora's answer was somewhat diffused by the door, but was still audible enough. Riku gently placed his forehead against the door.

"I'm sorry—about what my mom said." He heard shuffling behind the door and his lips pressed together.

"…Why? She doesn't know anything, so it's okay." As Sora spoke, he moved towards the door and also rested against it—placing his hands up on the wood. Somehow he could _feel_ Riku even with the inches-thick barrier separating them. He moved his hand along the door slowly, wishing that it was Riku he would be touching instead.

"But she… Never mind. As long as you're okay, so am I. We'll be in the kitchen when you're all set, all right?" Riku released a soft breath and took a step back, his hand still placed on the door. He stared at it a moment before he turned to leave his room. Sora slowly and silently opened the door enough to catch Riku's retreating form and he also sighed.

"When I'm all set…" Sora grabbed the fabric of his shirt over his chest and leaned against the wall. "Who knows when that will be?" Sora thought as he glared at the ground. The last thing he expected when Riku stumbled into his life was that he'd have parts of it brought back up that he'd really just rather forget. Sometimes he just wanted them to not exist at all…

But that was the most foolish thing he could ever wish for, he suddenly though. If his memories were gone, would he be a different person? Maybe, maybe not. He was who he was because of those memories. He didn't want to change—especially if that meant losing Riku. If Riku liked him the way he was, then everything he went through up until this moment was fine. All the good, the bad…the heart-breaking and life-altering memories weren't just that. They were experience more than anything else. They led him to where he was. To Riku, in the end.

That was okay.

"I won't let this weigh them down," Sora spoke to himself quietly as he turned to look in the mirror on the wall behind him. After taking a short time to think to himself and then shrug on some clean clothes, the brunet slipped past the doors to find his friend waiting.

Riku was sitting at his small table with his mother who was drinking coffee. Riku unfolded his hands and let them rest on the table as he saw Sora approach, then gave him a smile which was returned.

"Hey, darlin'. You all ready?" Lira asked with a cheerful lilt in her voice when she noticed Sora's presence. He nodded and folded his arms across his stomach as he put his weight on one leg, still smiling. All his guilt and obscurity were gone, like they never existed.

"Of course.," he answered with an almost equal amount of enthusiasm.

"Great, great. Then we can just leave early so that if it sucks, I can buy some shit and then we can just come back here and talk." Lira explained and brought the cup to her lips as Sora heard Riku groan quietly in the background. "Oh, and before I forget, Sora, could you tell me more about where you work? Riku was just talking about it." Lira's question readily caught Sora off guard, and he looked to Riku who was about to say something until Lira elbowed him and he wheezed. Grabbing the offended area, Riku closed his mouth and glared at his mother. Sora took that as an opportunity to talk.

"Okay. I work at the café,_ "Sweet Rhapsody,"_ not too far from here. It's owned by my friend's relatives, and I've been working there for a good while now. Oh, if you're worried about me paying rent, it's all right," Sora eased with a smile, "I'm trying my hardest to pay for all the trouble Riku has gone through with an extra body around. I refuse to stay anywhere without holding up my end."

Both of the room's other occupants stared at the brunet in surprise and he flushed under their shocked features. Riku's brows had furrowed and he moved to say something until Lira lifted her hand to silence him. She couldn't have them both guilt-tripping and creating another downward spiral of unhappiness like before.

"Oh, I didn't mean that at all. Don't you even worry about a silly thing like that. Riku gets by just fine on his own, so save your hard earned paycheck for things like food and university. A little spending money is nice, too." She suggested, looking back at Riku with an odd expression. "No drugs though." She said so suddenly that Sora laughed out loud.

"It would be nice if you could act your age," Riku deadpanned, though a small smile appeared on his face a minute later. His eyes flickered to Sora once before they returned to his protesting mother. Only God knew why he hadn't run away screaming yet.

"At least I'm not a sour old man. I hope Sora lightens you up in the time that he stays here, you stick in the mud." She laughed at her son's glare and turned to Sora, "Is he _always_ like this when I'm not here? Tell me." Lira made a hand gesture towards Riku and Sora looked at his friend while trying hard not to laugh. He really was trying to hold back, but a little slipped and he giggled. His pride was shot a little for such a girlish sound, but the way Riku looked at him made up for it.

"Well, no. He's not nearly such a downer. He's a lot of fun and he's kind, though he can be a bit full of himself once in a while… Uh, not that you're not being kind and fun right now! Is something bothering you?" Sora exhaled the last few lines quickly because of the look he was receiving from Riku. The other male shrugged and slid a hand into his pocket as he answered through his teeth, "I'm perfectly fine."

Clearly, that was a lie. Something had been bothering him, but he could easily suppress those worries in front of Sora. It was simply frustrating with his mother visiting, but doubly so with the constant worry that she would embarrass him.

"Are you sure?" Riku waved a hand dismissively to which Sora lowered his eyes to the floor afterwards. Would it be fair to get angry at Riku for keeping things to himself…while he confronted Sora about doing the same? He wasn't sure, but now that he saw how frustrating it was, he felt a little bit guilty.

"I'm _fine, _really. Having a blast. Are we ready to go?" Sora watched Riku fix the collar on his shirt as he avoided meeting his eyes. Sora glanced at the clock and decided to let it go.

"No taking that back later, Riku!" Lira grinned, pushing her son away from the kitchenette. He stumbled a bit and sent her a withering look, but didn't say anything. He looked back at Sora and their eyes locked for a moment. Sora didn't say a thing until he walked up to Riku and smiled.

"No escaping either," Sora chuckled.

When a warm arm slid around his own, Riku couldn't bring himself to ever willingly want to escape.

…

…

Oh, the nostalgia.

Sora was hit with a wave of it as the flashing lights assaulted his eyes.

The fair wasn't as huge as he remembered when he'd visit in his younger years, but it was still pretty impressive. For a small town, the guys in charge sure knew how to set up a decent sized fair in the limited amount of land they were given to work with. He envied their speed, too—it was set up one week and then gone the next, like it was never there. When he'd been just a boy, he had liked to think it had been the work of some kind of magic.

He was an imaginative kid, okay?

"They added a bunch of stuff from last year, didn't they?" Riku inquired, looking at his surroundings. Among the food and craft stands that were scattered all over the place, were crowds of people. Nevermind that it was a short drive out of the city, Riku didn't expect this many people to be out. It was so lively and colourful that he almost felt dizzy. When he looked at Sora, he wasn't very surprised to see that he was enjoying himself.

"Eh, it should be up until winter break is over, so we have about a few weeks until it begins. I don't think any of the rides are open yet. Not that we can even go on any of them, as much as I know you want to." Riku grinned as he nodded towards a small pen with children flocking around a sign that said "Pony rides." Sora flushed and elbowed his friend as he stomped on ahead.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sora huffed, but then spun around so that he was walking backwards. Riku blinked at the devious smile on his face. "I get it. You're just mad that you can't sit on one without breaking it's back. I know how sensitive you are about your weight," Sora frowned, trying to be mock-understanding. Riku's eyes narrowed in a pissed squint and he reached out for Sora, but he ducked away and laughed. It would be bad to chase him through the crowd, lest he wish to get lost.

Even if the way Sora was grinning at him made him want to run and tackle him.

It was only just a matter of time before the place was going to be overrun with high school kids and teenagers out to enjoy their break. (More so then they already were at the moment.)

"Oh, you boys settle down now. You're going to run over someone or thing and get us kicked out before I can even check this place out. Or play any games. Want mommy to win you a stuffed animal?" Lira cooed as she turned and patted Riku's cheek. He grunted, but made no movement even after she started to wander towards a strange water gun tent.

At least the 'carnival' games were open early. Riku didn't think he could handle hearing his mother pout about how bored she was already.

"Hey, why don't you win one for Sora?" Riku looked at her with an odd expression and she shrugged. He inhaled, looking ahead at Sora. He hadn't heard, apparently, as he was still a few feet ahead of them and more interested in looking around.

"Mum, don't. Whatever it is you're thinking, stop it." Riku looked down at his shoes, his hair stubbornly falling over his features. He hadn't wanted either of the two knowing that he had been thinking of doing something along those lines. Something, but not quite _that_. He thought that he could find something that would make Sora smile. But winning a stuffed animal was girly. And boring, in his opinion. And clichéd.

"What?" She asked, sighing when her son didn't answer. Sora had finally come to a stop

"Aw, it's cute. It looks kind of like the things Kairi used to crochet." Sora smiled at the toy, then at Riku. "Don't worry, man, I won't bug you to let me get one. We don't have to play any games if you don't want to. I suck anyway," Sora said waving his hand at Riku as he laughed, but Riku missed it because he was already moving to ask the orange-haired man behind the counter if he could give it a go. Lira held back a smirk and drifted around the stand to look at the prizes, studying Sora's expression from the other side of the booth.

He couldn't even hide the fact that Riku had made him happy.

Before he even knew what was happening, he watched Riku throw several circular rings towards bottles, shocked when he'd gotten nearly all of them on. Weren't they rigged or something? Aside from that, Riku then turned to the bored-looking redhead with a grin, asking if he would get him the bright-green dragon.

"The one with the cute wings and bow, ya?" The teen asked with an accent and Riku nodded, watching the male's tan hands snatch the toy for him, "Here you go, man."

Riku nodded and headed towards Sora, and with a grin, set the stuffed toy atop the brunet's head. Sora stared up at Riku in shock.

"Viola. For you. A token of my undeniable skill in tossing circular rings at bottles and shit." The taller male grinned and watched the brunet's eyes light up at the gift he had just received, though his brows furrowed as he tilted his head forward and let the toy fall into his hands. He held the dragon with care, examining it as he fought a smile.

"Riku… You didn't have to—" Riku ran a hand through the brunet's hair and ruffled the spiky locks.

"I know. Take it easy," Riku answered simply. "I wanted to. It reminds me of you. Look at that big smile," Riku teased, running a hand through Sora's hair. It was gentle, instead of teasing this time. Sora trembled inwardly, pressing his lips together as he tried to think before speaking.

"Riku—thank you. I…" After he gave his friend a brief hug, he then examined the small toy, running his fingers over the ribbon that was tied around its neck. It was soft, and the little thing reminded him of something he once had as a child.

"I was never one for stuffed animals, but there was… I used to have a bear with a bow like this. Mom got it for me here years ago. It felt just as soft, too." Sora smiled, staring fondly at the stuffed animal. The silver haired teen petted the soft fur of the toy bear and cautiously glanced at his friend.

"So your mom also win you the bear at a carnival?" Riku asked softly, watching as Sora smiled and his eyes fluttered shut after a few moments.

Neither Riku nor Lira had realized that the brunet had slipped into the very deepest parts of his memories. Everything suddenly hurt. Sora didn't know what to do, and he didn't want to think about these things while around his friends, but he couldn't stop.

He was no longer seeing Riku or his mother, but a flash of blue eyes and brown hair and a gentle smile. A lighter pair of blue eyes ran through his head, along with laughter and a childish smile. He knew them both well. That flash of blonde hair brought a jolt of pain through him and he fell back slightly. These memories…why couldn't he stop them? Before he knew it, he remembered the sun… The sun and the sky and the trees and then suddenly everything was red. _Red._

Red, red, red.

A horrible colour.

Sora wanted to scream.

He had the sinking feeling that he would have, had a hand not have been placed on his head that pulled him back.

"Sora…?" The brunet had stopped staring at the dragon and brought his head up to see Riku and Lira's confused and worried faces. He didn't even realize he was shaking a bit until Riku grabbed his hand.

"Hun, you've been spacing out and staring at that alligator thing for a good few minutes… Want to tell me what's wrong? Is it a headache? Migraine?" Lira put a hand on his shoulder and watched the clouded look in the brunet's eyes fade away and he cringed. Thinking it was her fault, Lira retracted her hand and frowned.

"Huh? O-Oh, nonono, I'm sorry. Just…memories. I've got so many about this place that I kind of got lost in them. I do that a lot, so feel free to leave me behind when it gets annoying." A small laugh escaped his lips and he scratched his arm. It took another steady breath for the brunet to be able to force the old memories away. Riku watched him looked down at the toy in his hand and then look away.

"Sora." Riku looked at Sora reassuringly, but dropped the subject. Sora obviously looked like he wanted to forget what he had just remembered, so why bring it up again?

"Anyway, back to my previous question—whatever happened to your bear?" Riku smiled down at his friend and his new toy.

Sora stared at his stuffed animal and closed his eyes, "I lost it." He winced at the lie, before walking towards one of the food stands. "C'mon! I'm starving!" He called out with a little too much enthusiasm to be genuine. Riku's conflicted gaze lingered on Sora as he and Lira strolled to the food stand. He was done with prying, really, but something about the way he had lied like that gave him a very unsettling feeling.

"Coming Riku?" His mother called, noticing that her son had not moved from his spot. Riku looked at her suddenly as she drew him from his thoughts and he nodded.

When he saw Sora glance back at him, his mind was made up and he waved back.

"Be right there," he called. Riku jogged over to the stand and insisted on paying for their food. Sora went kicking and screaming, but ultimately ended up letting Riku buy their lunch, even if he sat hunched over and pouted for a good part of the meal.

"Thanks for the food, Riku." Sora finally spoke quietly before sticking a hot dog in his mouth, loving the tangy, yellow mustard that covered practically the whole thing. Riku watched him and his nose scrunched. Taking a sip of his drink, Riku shrugged.

"Don't mention it." He then shrugged again when Sora laughed. "But I won't be so nice the next time you kick me in the nads." He raised a brow as Sora coughed and swallowed his food, looking rather sheepish and flustered at the same time.

"S-Sorry. You know it was an accident!" Sora palmed the picnic table with one hand and Riku grinned.

"It's nice to come here together. Provided we don't kick each other in the 'nads', right?" Lira tapped a red fingernail on the table and watched the two boys eat their food without commenting. She laughed lowly as they refused to look at each other without blushing every so often.

"So, what were your parents like? If you don't mind my asking." Lira started, sipping her own soft drink shortly after her son flashed a pointed look in her direction. Riku wanted to reach across the table and strangle her for being so straightforward and prying out of nowhere. What the hell was she thinking bringing that up so suddenly? He looked to Sora and was surprised to see him smiling.

"My family, huh. Well…my mother was a very kind and beautiful woman. She worked as a nurse for a while, before I was born. I remember how she would always drop what she was doing and help someone if they needed it. She was—and still is, I guess—a very important person in my heart; we used to do everything together. I think that's important, you know. Family time." He explained with a fond smile that hurt Riku to see.

"Now we know why Sora is such a sweetheart," Lira said, giggling at Sora's sheepish smile and red cheeks.

"She sounds as amazing as you," Riku added offhandedly with a smile and noticed that his friend's blush became more evident. He coughed and wiped his mouth with a napkin to avoid saying anything further.

"T-Thanks but… I'm nowhere near the person she was," Sora admitted and glanced down at the wooden table they were sitting at. Riku lifted his head from resting on his hands and gave his friend a sincere look.

"That's okay… You're not meant to be the same as anyone else, and... I like you the way you are. Just being Sora is enough, don't you think?" Riku admitted, and he could see that he had caused Sora's emotion filled irises to widen.

"I agreed with my son. My sap-filled, pansy-ass son." Lira took one of the brunet's hands and squeezed it gently. Sora fiddled with his fingers after Lira had removed her own. The brunet was so happy that he was surrounded by people who cared about him, and weren't afraid to share their feelings. (He had always been teased for being a softy.)

"Thank you." Sora laughed, looking down at his toy once again. His eyes stung, but he wouldn't allow himself to tear up.

"Anyway, you can continue, babe. What about your father? Any siblings?"

Riku winced, when he suddenly remembered Demyx and Zexion's words. Sora's father had been cruel to him and the silver haired teen wanted to kick his own ass for forgetting such an important account. And his mother was still too nosy for her own good.

Sora stared at the table fiercely, and then his gaze softened as he glanced up at the crowds of people.

"I…I had a brother." Riku immediately clenched his hands atop one another to keep from reaching across and placing them over his mother's mouth.

"But as for my father… I don't remember him too much," Sora turned away, and Riku could see that he was clearly avoiding answering with anything more. That was okay, but he was worried that his mother wouldn't catch on. Lira just looked sympathetically at him.

Then with a smile, she offered, "Oh, I see. He must've been a nice man if he was married to your mother." Sora's hands clenched at this. Riku noticed.

"Yeah… Must have been."

If Lira sensed the obvious and bitter discomfort coming from Sora, she didn't show it. Riku on the other hand, definitely did. Sora wasn't hard to read in the slightest. That only made him all the more frustrated that his mother kept pestering the poor brunet with her curiosity. No matter how many times Sora tried to get off the topic, Lira somehow drug it back out in the open. He didn't want that, because Sora clearly wished for it to stay hidden.

As a way of diverting the subject, Riku cleared his throat.

"Why don't we go play some more games and get some prizes or something? We can get in a few more before we leave, and you still need one for Cissnei." Riku used the hair tie that was around his wrist to fix his hair back loosely.

"Cissnei?" Sora asked curiosly.

Riku smiled. "My sister. The little troll." He yelped as his mother cuffed him on the back of his head, but he saw her grin and gave one right back as he clutched his aching skull. "She's still a little kid, so she plays with dolls and stuffed animals and stuff."

Sora made an offended noise and looked at Riku through squinted eyes. "What are you trying to say?" He mentioned down at his dragon without ever looking away from Riku, who smirked.

"Note how I said 'playing.' You don't _play_ with them, right? It's cool if you do. I won't tell anyone." Riku laughed loudly as Sora huffed and pushed him on the shoulder before he made a move to get up, his disgruntled mumblings sounding funnier and funnier to Riku with each passing second.

"Jerk. Agh, but that sounds like a plan. My ass is starting to hurt from this seat anyway," Sora laughed when he heard Lira snort. Riku could tell that he was still grateful for the diversion—if the look he sent the older male's way meant anything. He was on his feet within seconds and moved to throw their trash away.

On the way there, he had to lift the tray he was holding up to avoid hitting the small children as they ran in front him. He caught himself and turned to watch them, finding that the little boy was being hoisted up onto his father's shoulders while the little girl folded her arms and pouted, most likely feeling left out until another woman came over. They looked so happy.

He wouldn't deny that he felt slightly envious of them. But that black feeling settling in his stomach made him feel like trash, so he disposed of the left over garbage and walked back to where Riku was standing and fiddling with his shirt. Sora laughed to himself.

"Ready to go?" It wasn't until after he nodded that Sora caught a familiar black and silver beanie cap from over the taller male's shoulder. Suddenly, that black feeling returned, but was slightly different this time.

"Shit," the brunet whispered. Sora's eyes widened and he subconsciously slid closer Riku, in an effort to push him and get him to walk a bit faster. It only served to make the other raise an eyebrow at the action. Both Riku and his mother turned to look at the nervous brunet.

"What are you d—?"

"Aw, isn't this nice." A laughing voice cut in.

Riku looked around to where Sora's line sight was directed and his stomach dropped. By chance, a certain blonde-haired teen and his small entourage stood with their noses and pride held a little too high for him to take seriously. He loathed them on sight, once again. Although this time, their number was reduced, and there was a woman in the mix now. Seifer didn't look as if this bothered him, so that meant she was either twice as annoying or could kick some serious ass.

But he really didn't want to stick around to find out.

Riku's irritation was even furthered when he noticed the tags hanging from lanyards around their necks. Either they were in charge of the security or they'd made those tags themselves. And since none of them looked smart enough—minus the scary woman—it was probably the former. 'Disciplinary Committee' was scrawled across the tags in bright orange, with some kind of cartoon drawing in the corner. Riku snorted. Oh, the irony.

Seifer could stand a little 'discipline' himself.

"Having a good time?" Seifer asked, faking politeness to the point where Sora wanted to throw up.

"Not anymore…" Sora muttered as he peeked over Riku's shoulder and saw the blonde and two others approaching. Guess he had noticed, then…

"Well. What do you know?" Seifer's lips quirked up into a sneer as he looked over Sora—who Riku had put an arm protectively around, and narrowed his viridian eyes. Oh, he remembered this guy. But the platinum haired woman—not counting the other tall, muscled brunet there, too—behind Seifer wasn't too familiar.

" …What are you even doing here?" Sora asked cautiously and the blonde folded his arms.

"Seifer's always looking out for the town, y'know?" The dark haired man said proudly, and was followed by a clipped "Considerate," that the silver-haired woman on the blonde's other side quietly muttered. Seifer rolled his eyes at Sora's confused expression and placed a hand over his hip, "Just keeping the streets clean and keeping punks like you in check. I'd say it's been a good day so far." Seifer leered as he took a threatening step forward and Sora frowned.

Keeping in check?

"Who are these guys now?" Lira inquired as she pointed to the three before them. No one from the group made a move to introduce themselves and just looked mildly annoyed—as if they expected everyone in the town to already know who they were.

"No one important, that's for sure," Riku started, ignoring the sudden noises of protest they finally gave. "' Disciplinary Committee?' Are you shitting me? They don't help anybody but themselves. Let's go." Riku growled, looking at Seifer angrily and he received a similar expression as the group walked up to them. The two stared at each other fiercely, and a dangerous silence fell over the group until Seifer decided to break it.

"I think _you_ got the wrong impression. We're more important than you'll ever be here." He pushed Riku's shoulder and roughly knocked the taller male backwards into Sora, who staggered and fell to the ground after his legs awkwardly knocked together and gave out from beneath him.

"Watch it, you bastard!" Riku was positively glowering now, a look that Seifer shied away from only an inch, but it was still enough to notice he was intimidated. Riku didn't care enough to see his full reaction, as he crouched down to help his friend. Riku hauled Sora to his feet and grabbed his shoulder. "You okay?" Riku asked, keeping his voice soft and low so that only Sora could hear.

"Mmhmm," Sora nodded, smiling a bit when Riku's fingers moved soothingly over his shoulder in a way that made his heart race. Those long, thin fingers pressed into his shirt and he searched Riku's eyes as they stared at him.

"What is your problem? Keep your hands to yourself," Lira warned, taking a step in front of Riku and Sora and she huffed indignantly. Her eyes were narrowed to a pissed squint, and she held her head high as she and Seifer glared each other down.

"What. You his ma? He needs his 'mommy' to help him?" Seifer spoke flatly, not impressed in the slightest.

"You need some serious straightening out, kid. Or else you might need your _mommy_ to help _you_ out." She poked Seifer in the chest and he arched a blonde eyebrow.

The blonde's frown was quickly replaced by another sneer and a snort of laughter blew past his lips.

"It's funny that you should mention _straight. _Clearly_,_ I'm not the one in need of 'straightening' out. Try that fag,"_ he_ suggested, flicking his hand and staring at Sora, who looked down and gritted his teeth together.

'_Keep quiet. Don't start anything—that's what he's waiting for.'_ Sora thought, feeling strangely calm as he felt the heat from Riku's body next to him. Though with one glance at his angered friend and he wasn't so sure that it was himself he had to be calming down anymore. Riku didn't look like he could keep to himself any longer.

"What gives you the right to through around words as _pointless_ as that? Sora's done nothing to you!" She took an angry step closer to Seifer, who backed up and crossed his arms.

"Freedom of speech. Get it? If you don't step aside I'll have to take disciplinary measures." The blonde narrowed his eyes and tried to act as menacingly as possible as he towered over Riku's mother. He held his ID tag up in their face and sneered. Though his stance did falter a little as Lira glared back up at him without so much as blinking.

"Seifer is no push over, y'know." The brunet to Seifer's right declared, which was accompanied by the "Uncontested," that the woman stated monotonously.

"I don't think so," Riku also stepped forward menacingly and his eyebrows were furrowed dangerously, until Lira and Sora pulled his shirt.

"C'mon Riku. Let's get away from these _punks_. They're not worth it. Bunch of weirdoes." Lira warned and Riku eased his posture. She had never seen him so quick to resort to violence—while it was unsettling, it further proved how sensitive he was to Sora's health.

"Can we just go back to the flat?" Sora stared up at his friend and tried to show him how uncomfortable and anxious he was around Seifer. Riku knew this, but he still… Seifer pissed him off like no other, but if he started a fight here, he'd be no better than that prat. Sora gave him a look that he couldn't refuse a moment later, so that just sealed the deal.

"You're right. This is going nowhere. We've got better things to do." Riku gave one final glare towards the "committee" before he slid his fingers into the brunet's and dragged him off, mentioning for his mother to follow. His thumb grazed over the skin on Sora's hand gently and he looked at him. The action was soothing, so Sora smiled in return.

"Feh," Seifer interrupted, and then turned around; though he gazed at them from over his shoulder and sent them an equally fierce look.

"You're just too chicken-shit to defy us!" The brawny male yelled at their retreating forms. He was ignored, and when he noticed this, he whined.

"Cowards," was all the woman had to say as her ruby eyes flicked to Seifer, who still glared after them. He must've been in a good mood—letting them leave without so much as an insult.

Riku decided it was time to go.

The less time he spent around those idiots, the better it was for everyone. Especially Sora.

All in all, he thought that went pretty well…

..…..

..…..

"Anyone care to tell me who those _complete retards_ were?"

Lira's arms flexed over her head and she stretched as they walked into the flat. Her tone was annoyed, but her features were clearly tired. Riku almost laughed. She was getting old, she was, and her incessant ramblings and drowsiness proved that. He couldn't count on the grey hair, because…well, he couldn't tell what was natural and what was from age.

But senility aside, anything was better than that awkward silence that encircled them on the walk home.

"Oh, they were Seifer, Raijin, and Fuujin… They've been calling themselves the town's 'Disciplinary Committee' for a while now. It's pretty annoying, but you learn to tune them out pretty quickly," Sora explained as Lira walked over and propped herself on the arm of the sofa.

"Are they always that bad-mannered?" The brunet nodded softly and used his fingernail to pick at a lingering spot of dirt on his top.

"Yep." Sora smiled cheekily, his eyes squinting, "You've no idea."

"Shitheads."

Sora choked back a laugh as Lira continued to complain and make strange hand gestures as she complained. Riku wasn't really listening, so he thought instead.

Remembering Sora's expression made Riku's eyes snap shut. He harshly ripped off a paper towel from its dispenser and wet it before walking towards his friend. This shit was ending. He'd have no more of Seifer taking away what fragile happiness Riku was building back up.

"I hate that stupid, pompous, conceited, arrogant—_God _damn_ it_. He thinks he rules the whole damn town! He thinks he can push people around and call you stupid, childish things and hurt you and—" Riku touched Sora's arm with a napkin and cleaned away the spot of blood that seeped from the thin scrape the brunet got when he was knocked over.

"Riku, there are people like them all over the world, and there are even some who are worse… I can handle it. And besides, you used way too many of the same adjectives to describe him when he's really just a stuck-up arse. But really, it's okay." Sora teased, reassuring his best friend. His eyes softened at the other male's concern and he touched Riku's hand, which seemed to come as a shock before he started to pull away. But then he stopped.

"No, it's not to me. People can't treat you like that. Not when you go out of your way to be kind and generous and… I just won't let them do it." Riku's declaration surprised the brunet and his hand continued to hold Sora's arm as he gazed onto those clear, sky orbs.

"Riku, think about it. They aren't going to stop just because _you_ don't want Sora to get hurt. They're nothing but bullies—they do what they do knowing you'll both be hurt. Ignore them, you'll see that that's the only thing you can do. You don't need to let them get to you." Lira tried to reason and watched her son let go of his friend to walk into the center of the room.

"I know, I just don't… Just knowing they'd ever think like that pisses me off... Sorry. I know I'm hot-headed about this, but you're too important to me now to let it go without a fight." Riku admitted and made sure that the brunet got his message—he was serious about the whole thing.

"I…" Sora's eyes rested on a part of the floor and he bit his lip. "I know. You're important to me too, bro. We're practically inseparable now!" Riku smiled and walked over to the brunet and ruffled his hair. Leave it to Sora to always try and lighten the mood; but, it was better that way.

"Why don't you go take a shower? You need it, smelly." Riku laughed when Sora elbowed him in the side jokingly, "We'll find something to do after you're done." Riku moved his hand gently through Sora's cinnamon locks and he sighed—the brunet rather liked the feeling of the hand moving through his hair and closed his eyes, nuzzling into the touch.

"Okay." He moaned softly, and then a smile tugged at his lips. After he pulled back and nodded towards the door, Riku blinked. He removed his hand and flashed a brief smiled before he went to the kitchen, keeping his hair in his face for cover. Sora shrugged as he went to the bathroom and Lira remained on the couch, smirking after witnessing such a scene. It was almost like they were actors on one of those shows she still teased her mother about watching. Her '_Soaps'_, was it?

She got up and went to the kitchen where she found her son sitting at the table with his head in his hands. Her gaze softened as she quietly made her way around the small area until she was standing at the back of his chair.

"So… You really like him, don't you?" Riku jumped slightly at the sudden voice from behind him and he twisted around in his seat to frown at the woman until she walked to the other side of the room and leaned against a counter.

"Did you have to sneak up on me like that?" Lira folded her arms and gave her son a pointed look.

"Answer the question."

"What question?" Riku purposely tried to keep his voice indifferent as he gazed out the small window above the sink.

"You like him." She articulated again and although he knew what she meant, he didn't want to admit it aloud just yet. What could she tell him that he didn't already know?

"Well yeah, we are best friends." Riku tried to be neutral. He rested his chin on his hand and with the other one he drew circles on the table's cold surface.

"No. You _like_ him—as in more than a friend, Riku." Riku stared at her and his fingers hesitated in movement a second before tapping on the table impatiently.

"What gave you that idea?" The silver-haired male frowned at the bland look his mother threw at him. What the hell was she ever trying to prove with this? If he'd admit his feelings out loud to her then Sora would fall for him as well? That was less likely to happen than _Axel_ becoming a normal, respectable human being that isn't uncomfortably obsessed with fire. Not going to happen.

"You're absolutely _crazy_ for the kid and you know it. I can tell not only because of how close the two of you are, but because of those damn looks you give each other. You'd have to be an idiot not to notice the attraction between you two."

Riku gripped his hands together and swallowed, the nervous lump in his throw growing with each second he avoided her all-knowing gaze. "I…I'm not in love with him, mum. We're both guys." He muttered weakly, staring out the window into the dark sky once more trying not to take note of how much his brows creased after saying that.

"Since when has a stupid reason like that mattered? You can stay in your denial, but do not lie to me when I ask if he is important to you. Sora really is an amazing person." She smiled at her son patiently and he simply stared back. He knew she was right. He _knew_ it, but that didn't guarantee anything if he didn't know Sora's feelings. She could tease him for the rest of his life and he wouldn't care. Just as long as she didn't tell Sora.

"Even if I do like him, that doesn't mean he feels the same." Lira sighed and stopped the conversation as soon as she saw Sora, who was now dressed in a small top and grey sweats.

The woman smirked because she noticed the way Riku was glancing over the brunet's body—he _was_ truly a sight to behold, and the gentle way that the brunet walked and presented himself could draw in everyone around him. Plus, those pajamas rested over the brunet's body quite nicely. Lira could admit she was slightly jealous of his attention-grabbing form.

"Did you both figure out what you want to do?" Even after he spoke, Riku's eyes lingered on the brunet as he remained silent. Then his gaze flew to his mother and he frowned at her sly smile while ignoring the stupid bright colour on his cheeks.

Sora abruptly yawned and rubbed his eyes with the back of his slender hand. Lira noticed this with a chuckle, "I don't think Sora's eyes can hold up long enough for us to decide on anything, Riku." At the second cat-like yawn the brunet gave, Lira grinned and hit his shoulder playfully as she had to follow suit.

"Sorry!" The brunet laughed until he saw Riku smiling at him fondly, then he fiddled with his shirt (a nervous habit) as he looked away.

"It's okay. I'm also kind of tired. Ma, you don't mind taking the couch, do you? That futon… There were some mice a while ago that…" At her son's apprehensive expression, the woman laughed and held her arms up. "It's fine. I guess I wouldn't want to kick you two out of your bed." She paused for a moment and folded her arms, apparently pondering something.

"Why don't you just get separates?" Riku inwardly groaned at her smirk and knew that she had planned on asking that question sooner or later.

"We haven't had the time to go looking for another bed. And that one is big enough for us both to have a decent amount of room – so why bother…?" Riku's glare fixated on the floor and Sora fidgeted in embarrassment.

"If I were a girl then that would be a different story, but I still trust Riku. I've got nothing to be worried about." Sora playfully nudged Riku on the shoulder and smiled.

"Oh, I'd still be worried if I were you." Lira whispered mostly to herself, smirking.

"What was that?" Riku gazed down at his mother, his unimpressed expression making the woman cringe at being caught. "Goodnight, pumpkin!" She shouted before kissing him on the cheek then hurrying over to give Sora a quick peck also, before headed for the couch with a heap of blankets she pulled from the closet.

Riku grumbled and headed for their bedroom with a startled, but smiling brunet trailing behind him.

"Oh, man… What a day." Sora flopped onto the bed as Riku shrugged on some sweat pants. "You're mom is really fun, though. It makes me sad that she's only staying one more day." The brunet's shoulders dropped and his lips pursed, making him look comically frustrated with his brows furrowed like they were.

"Sora… Believe me; if you had lived with that woman all your life you'd soon realize that she is absolutely insane." The taller male rolled his eyes, trying his best not to smile but failing. Sora laughed and rolled onto his back to look at his friend.

"She's not that bad. You're just a pansy." The brunet's pink tongue darted out and he made a teasing face at his friend.

"You little…!" Riku grinned and rested his knee onto the bed as he leaned forward and pinched his friend on his nose. Sora smiled up at Riku who smiled in return. They stayed that way for a while until the brunet glanced away.

"Well… I'll see you in the morning, Riku." Sora covered another yawn, as he crawled under the covers on his side of the bed.

Even though there was plenty of room, Riku could guarantee that he would probably gravitate towards the brunet at some point in the middle of the night. And just like the other times before the brunet moved in, Riku's only excuse was, 'I'm a damn heat seeker!' To which he repeated while Sora would laugh it off with a blush on his face.

This night would probably be no different.

"Try not to steal the covers, _Sor_." Riku said also slipping into the bed. Sora chuckled.

"Try not to squish me against you again, _Ri_. I know it may be tempting an all. Many can't resist all this," Sora teased back as he gestured up and down his own body before giggle-snorting at Riku's scowl/pout combination.

"I'll attempt to remember that while I'm asleep." Riku winked at his younger friend and Sora pulled the covers more snugly around himself and smiled.

After a few moments of silence, Sora spoke up when he realized Riku was still just as awake as he was. "You know… I'm really glad you let me live here." The brunet spoke to his friend softly and Riku turned on his side to gaze at Sora.

"I couldn't let you go on living without a home, or with Kairi if you really felt uncomfortable—and you weren't being a burden, you know. She really cares for you." Riku muttered the last line quietly and shivered at the look in his friend's glowing eyes.

"I know she does. I care for her, too. She's helped me through a rough part of my life and I'm grateful to her." Riku listened to Sora and forced a smile for his friend.

"You really love her."

Sora smiled and nodded. "Yes. She's a very dear friend. Even though she's a few months younger, she's always reminded me of an older—albeit nuts—sister." At this statement, Riku's eyes widened and he squiggled a tiny bit closer to his friend.

Riku felt oddly relieved at the idea… He was reaching the point where there was just no use denying it.

'_I really do like him…'_

"And it's nice being able to live with my best friend. So thanks for taking me in, Riku." Sora smiled and closed his eyes tiredly, loving the way his soft pillow supported his head. It was nice to have a place to call home, but…what made it so much better was that he _shared_ that same home with his best friend.

"Thank you so…_so_ much. Riku."

"…You're welcome." Riku waited for the brunet to fall asleep before running his hand through the soft, chocolate spikes again. "But _I_ should be thanking _you_…"

It had taken a long time for the silver-haired male to attempt to get some rest. He watched over the slender brunet for a good while and stayed awake for the fear of pulling Sora into his arms, creating awkwardness, if he did fall asleep.

There was the huge possibility of Sora not returning his feelings. And if he confessed it would most likely ruin their friendship (or at least create an enormous amount of discomfort on the brunet's part). He was probably being overdramatic, but he didn't care.

He wasn't going to ruin their friendship because of his stupid infatuation.

When Riku did manage to get _some _sleep, it never lasted long. His current downed mental state had caused him to have unpleasant dreams and he had a hard time wanting to go back. But then at some point, Sora shifted and made himself close to Riku, who sighed and looked at the numbers on his digital alarm clock.

Giving in, Riku closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Sora's thinner body and smiled. As long as Sora was here that was all he felt like he needed.

It hadn't taken long after that for his consciousness to be too far gone to even notice the bedroom door crack open.

Lira peered into the room cautiously until she caught sight of the two sleeping forms. The woman tiptoed up to the side of their bed, and then smiled secretly at them.

"Look after my idiot son, Sora. He really loves you. More than anything." She lightly moved Sora's bangs out of his face, softly placing a kiss to his cheek and then moved to do the same to Riku. After that, she took a step back and held her fingers up to make an imaginary camera, holding it over the two and mentally capturing the scene before her. That way, she had some memento of happiness tucked away in her brain for the long and painfully boring plane ride home.

"Bye, darlings." She smiled and quietly wrote a note and, using the cute, travel-sized tape she kept in her purse, stuck it to Riku's door before she took one last look at the flat, smiling and holding her bags and a small stuffed animal in her arms.

With the content expression on her face, Lira stepped through the front door and shut it behind her as she walked away in silence.

..…..

**End – Chapter 8-**

..…..

* * *

OH.

HELLO ONCE AGAIN.

Really had to hold myself back from saying 'AUDIENCE' up there, but ya know. Copyright laws. ANYWAYS. The reason I've been gone for so long is that my dad's laptop—where I keep a crapton of pics and fics and…porn…—died. Well, the monitor died and I was freaking out because I thought I had to buy a new one and all my precious data was lost forever, but I just connected the monitor from my desktop to his crappy laptop and yeah, no one cares OTL

Oh, and I have two jobs.

Just giving you all an excuse 8Db

I had a _lot_of editing to do for this chapter. I changed Sora's past entirely, so it was a bit of a challenge taking it from my past writing—if it can even be called that—and had to fix it so that it flowed better. My writing is…weird. The way I type and the way it looks on Microsoft Word is different than the way it looks on . ldskj;lfjdf Because I'm OCD about that, it's getting annoying and I'm trying to make it at least look better. Another thing, I'm not really one for writing OCs, but I just couldn't find anyone to fit the part of Riku's mom, so I hope you don't mind :( And random insert of Cissnei. Hur hur, I'm original /o/

I fucking love Crisis Core. I think I mention that on a daily basis.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it! I absolutely adored the reviews I got. My day was made =3=

_I_ DO **NOT** OWN THE CHARACTERS—MINUS RIKU'S MOMMY. Characters © Square Enix.

YAY FOR THE 3DS INSTALMENT OF KH33  
Can't wait yaaaay  
_but seriously, Riku's hair isn't that bad. Gosh. I like it, actually._


	9. All this feels strange and untrue

...

**Be My Last**

**-Chapter 9-**

...

* * *

_I'm never going down_  
_I'm never giving up._

_I'm never gonna leave_  
_So, put your hands up._

_If you like me, then say you like me._

* * *

…

…

Mornings are terrible things.

All the light and the grogginess and those annoying little crusty things in your eyes…and the damn _light_.

It had taken Riku several blinks to finally adjust to the level of brightness that peeked through his blinds, shining with a spontaneity that he was obviously far too tired for. It was going to be a while yet before actually he actually thought about attempting to move. But even as he let his head rest against the pillow, a strange and warm weight moving against his chest forced his eyes back open.

Oh yeah.

Sora.

They were sharing a bed now… That thought alone made him happier than he cared to admit, but he wasn't so sure it was a good idea if it continued—seeing as how Sora gravitated towards him at whatever point in the night. With his usually weakened and slightly inebriated state in the mornings, Riku had no idea how his self-control would hold up.

No, wait, he _did_ know. It would crumble and crash and burn at his feet. So _not at_ _all_, really.

He hadn't been paying much physical attention to the other male until he felt the soft tufts of breath hit his neck. Sora's head shifted to rest on his shoulder so that he could still feel the warmth from his breathing along with where their bodies touched, and it was driving him fucking nuts. But that was okay. Sora was drooling on him, but that was okay, too. Everything was okay, because the stillness and warmth of feeling Sora next to him was enough to ease him into a strangely content state.

It continued that way for a while until Sora made a noise in his sleep, laughing at something in his dreams a moment later. Riku snorted.

"Are you ever _not_ attractive?" The silver-haired male pulled the other male and a little closer, telling himself that he could be selfish every once in a while. Sora wouldn't mind because he was still asleep, anyway. At least, he _was_ until his thin form began to wiggle around and stretch, those clear irises slowly revealing themselves a moment later. They fluttered shut again for a few moments before cracking open once more, confusion evident in the gaze he leveled Riku with.

"Morning," Riku spoke with a hurried yet soft tone, hoping that Sora hadn't heard the preceding comment and that he was too disoriented to realize how snugly fit together they were.

"Good morning to you, too. Oh, crap. S-Sorry for sleeping on you again," Sora muttered and Riku tried not to laugh as the other sat up, looking reluctant as he did so. "It's cold…" He whined, shivering to prove his statement after the covers slid off his shoulders with his movement.

"Eh, a little. I didn't mind it. Was nice because you kept me warm." Riku admitted, watching in suprise as Sora coughed and returned to the place at his side. Not knowing what else to do, Riku wrapped a tentative arm around the younger male and inhaled. Then he subsequently relaxed as Sora practically slumped against him.

"Mmm. In that case, I don't want to get up… Hey, _you're_ the warm one." The brunet's eyes fluttered shut and he laughed before moving even closer to the Riku's body and he wrapped his own slender arms around the other.

"See?"

Riku laid still, very much startled by his friend's bold and increasingly affectionate behavior.

Oh, but he didn't mind it one bit.

They could stay like this forever for all he cared.

It must have only been a few minutes later when a low creak from the other end of the room made Riku open his eyes.

"No. no. The longer you stay in bed, the better. This is just _perfect_." At the sudden and interfering voice, Sora's eyes flew open and he sat up, grabbing hold of Riku's arm and bringing him up with the motion as well. Disoriented for a moment, Riku's let his eyes wander the room until he could focus. Both immediately noticed the figure perched on the dresser near the bedroom door. With her red hair tied back into a low, neat ponytail and her glossed lips parted, Kairi laughed.

"Why are you on my dresser?" Riku asked, squinting his eyes as if he was faced with a difficult equation in need of solving. Sora didn't looked quite as perplexed—just startled and embarrassed beyond belief.

"Never mind that, what are you doing in our flat? Just—_How_?"

"I let myself in. You guys should really lock doors more often. I could have offed you both and ran away with anything I could carry." At this, Riku groaned but said nothing, allowing her to continue. "Besides, it's not like you were doing anything other than sleeping… Right?" She smiled and Riku rolled his eyes, but glared off to the side when he felt his cheeks redden slightly.

"O-Of course not!" Came the muffled response from Sora. His eyes were also narrowed, but his brows were raised in embarrassment as he covered his mouth with a hand, the other fisting in the sheets around him. The bright red colour of his face made Riku curious, however, and he reached for Sora's hand, pulling it down.

"You're face is—"

"It's nothing!" Sora yanked his hand away, turning to look at Kairi while Riku remained obviously baffled. Kairi smiled to herself, waiting for her friend to speak even if she had a clue on what he would say. He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated a moment to spare a brief glance at Riku as his hands wrung together. "S-So _why_ are you here? You didn't really tell us."

"Well, to be honest, this _awfully_ kind woman came down to the café pretty earlier this morning, and we chatted for a while before she had to take off. She clearly knew you because she rambled on and on about you. After she left, I figured I'd see what you were up to. Or not up to, seeing as how you're both still in bed." She smiled again, but this time there was a deviousness behind it that made Riku nervous. That nervousness was quickly replaced with dread as he retained her words.

"_Mother_." Riku's hand was immediately at his temple and a long sigh escaped his lips. He sluggishly rolled out of the bed while Sora remained half-hidden under the sheets.

"Lira? She left?" Sora frowned as he pushed the sheets off of his legs in order to join them at the door. When he didn't spot her as he look towards the sofa, he felt a bit disappointed. She didn't even say goodbye…

"Apparently. Here's the sticky note I found on the floor outside your door. You guys probably wouldn't have even known she was gone, considering how long you were spending your time there." She mentioned towards the bed and Riku ignored the look on her face as she handed him the note and he read over it. At least she had the grace to leave something.

"She's such a…" Riku's shoulders slumped, but he furiously shoved the piece of paper into his pocket while Sora swiveled around him and peered at the alarm clock, finally making note of the time.

"Wha—! It's already _past_one?" Sora squeaked, grabbing the fabric over his chest tightly. Kairi suppressed a laugh, not even bothering to remind him that it was the weekend—and they had nothing to do.

"Yeah. You guys slept pretty late… Long night?" She glanced at Riku's indifferent expression before her azure eyes studied Sora's embarrassed one. Oh, if only they were doing what she hoped they'd been doing. It would be about damn time and Selphie would owe some serious cash.

Riku cleared his throat.

"So, you're here now. What were you planning on doing after this visit?" Riku's hand twitched in his pocket against the note, ignoring Sora's time-related worries droning on in the background in favor of listening to Kairi's answer.

"Good question. I tried getting Selphie to go shopping, but she's with Tidus and Wakka today. So, either of you want to come along? We could grab a bite to eat. I don't want you guys going stir crazy." Her eyes were bright, and Riku's growling stomach was leaning towards the option more than he knew at the moment. With one glance back at Sora, he laughed and grabbed his shoulder. Pulling him into a headlock, Riku looked back at Kairi.

"Not like we've got much else to do. Right, Sora?"

"_Riku,_" Sora coughed, effortlessly tapping the other's arm around his throat in the hopes that he'd let go. To his dismay, it only tightened and Kairi snorted at him.

"You wimp!" Kairi poked her friend's forehead while he did a lot of struggling and not much else. Riku only laughed loudly at Sora's now limp form, but his grip loosened and his hand slid around Sora's shoulder amicably—until Sora sighed in relief and leaned in towards him.

"You try to break out of these arms!" Sora rolled his head up to look at Riku, his breath failing him at the lack of space between their faces. Riku watched him carefully and eventually decided on a light grin, the emotion in his eyes turning to fondness as Sora returned the smile. Kairi seemed to be the only one who noticed Riku's arm pulling Sora closer, his fingers shaking as he did so. But he didn't make the move Kairi'd been hoping for.

Which was utterly disappointing.

"Hey… Can I ask you something?" She questioned softly, startling both of her friends out of their moment—which was totally what that was. She knew them so well by now that she just wanted to make everything easier for them, because gods help her if they weren't doing the opposite. If only they could _see_ how stupid in love they were. And quite literally living up to the 'stupid' bit of the expression.

Somehow Riku seemed to know what she had planned to asked. His heart leapt to his throat at her serious look and he pleaded to her with his eyes. She opened her mouth, her gaze shifting from Sora's oblivious and curious look to Riku's panicked and begging one. Her mouth closed and she inwardly sighed.

"Are we going out or not?" She asked with a forced laugh, still feeling oddly disappointed. But Riku's grateful smile lessened that and she supposed it really was none of her business in the end.

But she'd be damned if she didn't give them a few nudges here and there.

"If there's food involved, I'm in~!" Sora smiled, trying his best not to feel down when Riku's arm slid off of his shoulder as he got up. "I'll just go take a shower now, okay?" Kairi nodded as she watched Sora smile at Riku before exiting the bedroom. The doorframe suddenly creaked as Kairi leaned against it, giving Riku an all-knowing look as soon as she heard the water begin running in the other room.

It took him a moment to realize she'd been staring, but one he did, his hands went into his pockets and he turned around.

"What?"

Kairi took a moment to study him. It had only been a few short months since they'd first met, but it seemed like a hell of a lot longer. There was something about Riku that Kairi felt…magnetizing. Like he'd been missing from them their entire lives and now that he was there it was all falling to place. Maybe even more so for Sora. She had a feeling that was why she felt so happy about the whole thing.

"Kairi. You're staring." Riku raised a brow, looking amused and slightly embarrassed at the same time.

"No, it's nothing you should worry about," she paused. Her smile widened a bit as she elbowed Riku, getting him to turn his gaze back at her. "I just knew you would be all over him. He's fun to sleep with, yeah?" Riku choked as he inhaled and furrowed his eyebrows. He was clearly at a loss for words.

"I… Shut up." She smiled at his bashful response and then turned around as she glanced around for Sora.

"Really, though… How are you holding up? He's not teasing you too much, is he?" The redhead stopped and glanced back at her friend, worry etched into her features. She took notice of his insecure expression and then urged him quietly, touching his arm. Riku hesitated, but the calm look he received helped ease the tension a bit.

"I'm fine. He's fine. Everything's _fine_. What, do you really expect me to just push him down and molest—" Just as the Riku dropped his arse down on the bed and frowned, Kairi shook her head and interrupted, "That's not it, calm down. I only wanted to make sure you're okay. I can't be easy. With the one you love_ right there_…yet still out of reach." Kairi whispered the last words to him, her brows furrowing sympathetically. He could admit that those words struck him because of the cold truth. Riku could still feel the unease gnawing at his insides now more than ever. Sora was near, and having this conversation while in such close proximity to him was making him crazy.

"I…" It wasn't that he couldn't admit how he felt, it was just…terrifying. He'd never had to say it aloud until now. It made feelings well up in his chest—both good and nerve-wracking at the same time.

"Riku, can I ask you something now?" Kairi asked as she sat down next to him. His slumped for relaxed a bit and he removed his elbows from his knees so he could look at her. With a nod, he urged her on. "Can you see the way Sora looks at you?" She asked, Riku sat up a little straighter. At first, Kairi thought he'd gotten it, but the confusion in his eyes made her shoulders fall a bit.

"Huh?"

"Okay… How about… Have you ever wondered just _why_ Sora lets you so close? Really close, I mean. _I _haven't even been as close to him as I've seen him let you, and I've known him for a lot longer. My point is that there's something between you two that just…clicks. It works and it's real. Even if you can't personally see it, a lot of other people can. Sora adores you, Riku."

Riku turned his head away, staring hard at the floorboards. "And I adore him. But our feelings are on different levels, Kairi. You understand why I can't approach him with this. I can't… If I…" Riku bit his lip as he looked at his hands. The sound of a shampoo bottle falling and a loud curse from the bathroom made him laugh to himself before he hung his head in his hands. "If I ever did grow the balls to tell him and it ruined everything, I'd probably lose it. I don't think I'd be able to function without him. I'm pathetic… When did it get this bad, Kairi?" A comforting hand on his head pulled him closer and he leaned on Kairi for support. She sighed.

"I know it hurts…and Sora's an idiot, so he's never going to notice. But everything will get better, you'll see. I can't shake this feeling that if you were ever to part ways, the world would turn on its head and spontaneously combust. What you two have—I've never seen it before, Riku. Ever." Kairi petted his hair and nudged him away.

"Right…"

"Besides, Sora'd _never_ let you get away," she laughed. "I told you; he's so far gone I think he'd chase you forever if you decided to run."

Riku laughed at the thought. It seemed impossible, yet so Sora-like.

"Then I guess I'm worrying for nothing?" He laughed again as Kairi made a funny noise. But she looked relieved and he felt lighter.

"You worry about as much as a woman, if not more." Kairi grinned when his brows furrowed and he elbowed her lightly. "Still, whatever you decide to do with what I've just told you is your choice. Don't forget that." They sat in silence for a few moments before Kairi huffed and rose to her feet.

"Gonna go ransack the kitchen," she smiled and gave a little wave as she walked to the door.

"Okay," Riku sighed, running a hand over his face. A soft smile eased his tense features as he heard the shower shut off.

"My choice, huh? Why does it have to be _mine_?"

His smile turned a bit rueful as Sora stepped out of the room—all glorious and glistening and wet and_ God have mercy_.

He was definitely still wet.

Suddenly everything Kairi had just said to him turned on _its_ head and combusted, leaving him wonder if he really did have the will to keep his goddamn mouth shut.

"U-Uh," Riku rolled his eyes away, hoping Sora didn't notice him staring. He must not have, because the sound of a towel dropping and a drawer opening gave Riku a sudden heart attack. Rising off his feet swiftly—daring not to look back—he kicked the door shut and fisted a hand against it as he pointedly stared at the hard material.

"D-Do you want Kairi to see you naked?" Riku asked, shocked when he realized that Sora was, in fact, naked behind him somewhere. Stumbling around trying to get his knickers on, by the sound of it. Sora only laughed at his stuttered question.

'_Don't turn around, don't turn around, whatever you do, don't. Fucking. Turn. Around. For the love of all that is fucking holy—'_

"You worry too much. I heard her say she was heading for the kitchen. I knew she wouldn't be in here." Sora said, fumbling around and getting his underwear on, by the sound of it. A few moments later, the sound of a few zippers made Riku cautiously glance over his shoulder, relieved and oddly disappointed to see Sora fixing the hood of his zip-up sweatshirt happily.

'_No shame.'_ Riku almost wanted to bash his head into the door, but Sora was staring at him and smiling.

"Ready?"

Riku swallowed, wiping his forehead off subtly in the hopes that Sora wouldn't notice how he'd been sweating.

"Yyyyep. Good to go. You?"

"As I'll ever be. C'mon." Sora grinned as he trotted past his friend and shouted something to Kairi that Riku was too distracted to pay attention to. His was still fixed on the fact that Sora was so open around him now. That was new—and a little nerve-racking if that meant he'd just drop his drawers whenever the hell he pleased.

But Riku loved it.

No, he adored it, because that meant they were growing closer still. Sora felt comfortable around him and trusted him, clearly.

What more could he ask for?

* * *

**.**.**.**

"Why did I let you drag me along…?"

It was more of a question to himself, but he still spoke it out loud.

Riku found himself asking this particular question nowadays more than he ever had in the past.

"Suck it up, Riku. Can you actually walk around out here and say you're not having fun with us?" Kairi smiled sweetly at him and twirled her small purse around her wrist.

"No! That's just it! We've been _walking_around these stores for hours!" Sora muttered and folded his arms as he leaned against Riku. The silver-haired male could tell that his friend was annoyed and exhausted and that thing he was doing with his lower lip made him want to lean down and—

"That's because the ones I want to go into are all next to each other."

"But my feet are killing me! We've only been to girly stores, Kai. What happened to getting food? Why do we have to shop for clothes?" At the poor brunet's languid form, Kairi laughed and shrugged.

"_Woman_," she said, pointing to herself.

"_Clearly_," Sora pouted and Riku muttered something under his breath too low for anyone to hear. Kairi elbowed him and he wheezed.

"Seriously_, _can we please get some food? I'm starving here." Sora groaned and, once they'd left the store, dramatically fell into the bench nearest to him. This time Kairi had a blank face as she halted to wait for him.

"You know we haven't been out here that long, right?" Kairi folded her arms, propping her hip out as she shifted on her feet. Riku took a seat next to Sora and let out a breath. All the walking was getting to him, despite what Kairi had said about their minimal time there. If an hour wasn't that long to her, Riku wanted to cry at the thought of spending more time waiting for her to try on everything she laid her eyes on.

"But this is the fourth store… I know there's a fast food place coming up." Sora sat up, smiling and trying to drop his best 'I'm hungry, woman' hints. Kairi frowned, so clearly it wasn't working.

"One more store. Then food," Kairi smiled when Sora groaned, but rose to his feet. He dragged Riku along and they looked at each other.

"Well, at least we can be miserable together." Riku tried, trying not to laugh at the look Kairi shot him over her shoulder. Sora had laughed anyway, nodding and stuffing his hand in his pockets.

"I said just one more store. My god." Kairi laughed.

And by one store, she meant the rest of the block.

Riku had never been so upset with his decision to move so close to the town. But when Sora smiled and grabbed his hand, nodding towards the big OPEN sign on the bistro door, he realized that the decision had more pros then cons.

"The next time she promises food before shopping, I'm not buying it… I will run and never look back." Sora muttered as he followed Riku to the door to the bistro. He let go of Riku's hand to point towards the door, letting Kairi know that they were skipping out on the shop that she'd just started going into.

"Did you always go shopping with her before?" Riku shot the brunet a sympathetic look when he walked up beside him and nodded.

"When Selphie isn't around, unfortunately," he spoke as his eyes darted to the menu and Riku snorted. "I can't tell you how many shops and sales I've been dragged to." Oh, Riku felt the brunet's pain. When he was young, he got hauled everywhere with his mother—and everywhere really did mean _everywhere_.

"I don't know how you're still able to function," Riku muttered and handed the brunet his lunch once it was paid for.

"Me either. But really, I'm so freakin' glad that you're here. Since my excuse of being deathly sick has been over used, I can say I'm hanging out with you next time." The brunet revealed a toothy grin and bit into his oversized burger. Riku gave him a blank look before rolling his eyes.

"I'm so glad I'm able to be of use to you," he spoke sarcastically, frowning in mock-hurt before ruffling Sora's hair. He let himself smile widely as Sora laughed before devouring his food. They ate in silence and Riku was surprised at how comfortable he felt. And judging by the content way Sora was sipping his drink, the brunet clearly felt the same.

As Riku stood to take away their trash, he met along the way and she giggled at his look of awe.

"Do you usually buy this much stuff?" Riku asked, eyeing the slew of extra bags around Kairi's forearms.

"Of course! Why do you think I brought Sora along? He wasn't that much help, honestly, but now that we have you I can shop a little longer next time." A look of utter satisfaction spread across her pretty face and she whipped her cell phone out, typing away and missing Sora's look of defeat as he came up behind Riku. He didn't say anything, but sipped at his drink irritably.

"You're implying that I'm weak?" Sora finally spoke, lips pursed around the straw of his drink. "First Riku calls me fat, and now you're calling me weak. Gotta love my moral support team." He pouted at his friends' cackling laughter and batted Riku's hand away after he messed up his hair.

"Oho, don't be so sensitive." The redhead reached over and pinched her friend's cheek and he opened his mouth to protest. "Trust me, you're better off staying like this. I don't think you'd look that great with bulging muscles, to be honest. What do you think Riku—his body is perfect the way it is, right?"

Riku had only been partially listening but after he heard his name and the last line, he had stumbled forward and almost lost his balance completely.

"W-What?" Sora's felt his face heat up while Riku made an effort to compose himself. Why the hell did he even bother trying to keep cool around them. Oh, she was probably going to tease him every chance she got. It was already bad now, and he had the sinking feeling that it was only going to get worse.

"Kairi, you're not playing fair. You know Riku has a better body than I do! You're just making fun of me." Kairi laughed when Sora tried to hold back a gasp resulting from what he hadn't realized he'd just said.

"See, at least _he's_ honest. Isn't it nice that even Sora thinks you have a nice body? But then again, I bet my weight in gold that half the world does." She laughed lightly, missing Riku's smile fall a bit.

"Looks aren't everything, you know." Riku teased, trying not to sound like he'd had this conversation before, but by the looks on his friend's faces it seemed like he failed.

"Riku," Kairi started, sounding apologetic.

"I think the person's looks have nothing to do with love. Sure they might be a little bit important to some, but I think that the person's heart and how they treat you and everyone else really matters more than anything. People are so focused on image. It's like they're to bothered or scared to look for something deeper. I guess that's why I'm so iffy about 'love at first sight' and things like that." Sora spoke up with a soft, gentle expression and swayed back and forth, beginning to take some of the bags in order to help Kairi out.

Riku couldn't help but keep his gaze on the brunet as he spoke. Everything Sora said, he made it seem like he believed in his words so faithfully that Riku couldn't help but feel a tug at his chest. There weren't many people who could be as striking on the inside as they were on the outside. Especially not like Sora was. He had both a stunning body and soul—and it amazed him to no end.

"That was very philosophical of you. But I'm with everything you said." Kairi did agree whole-heartedly, noting the longing way in which Riku was watching Sora.

While Sora walked a little bit ahead, she edged closer to Riku and elbowed him. He shrugged at her expectant look and she sighed when he turned his head away and focused on not getting hit by the car that just sped past him. With a sigh, Kairi shook her head and she retrieved her keys from her purse and sidled up by Sora.

"Hey, since we're done here, why don't we just hang around for a while?" Kairi suggested and brought the conversation out of its previously awkward-ish state.

"What, you mean at my—I mean, our flat?" Riku caught his mistake and glanced at Sora.

"I'm up for it. It could be like a movie night or something. We haven't done that in a while, so I think it'll be good to just lay around with some food and movies." Sora smiled when his friends nodded. Riku shrugged at the question and almost dropped the bags again when Kairi elbowed him, harder this time.

"I like how you had to include food in there. You bring the fat jokes on yourself." He said, watching Sora open his mouth wide to protest, but snapped it shut when he clearly had no comeback. He hit Kairi in the arm when she started to laugh and his action only made it harder for her to stop.

"I hate you guys," Sora said through pursed lips. But he smiled at his two friends afterwards and hurried towards Riku's car.

"You love us and you know it." Kairi smiled as she claimed the back seat for her and all of her luggage.

"I'm not talking to either of you forever." Sora slouched against the seat and kicked his feet up onto the dashboard when Riku snorted and started the car.

Sora ended up talking the entire drive home.

* * *

**.**.**.**

"So… what's this movie called again?"

Riku had snapped out of his daze and glanced over at Kairi, ignoring the loud snore that Sora let out.

"I don't remember. Some horror flick. Remote's over there if you want to check the info." Riku laughed the next time Sora made a garbled noise and pinched his nose. All three managed to fit on the sofa, thought Sora was laying mostly across the two of them and making rather odd noises in his sleep.

"I don't believe him! Who nods off during a horror movie?" Kairi laughed, but then she turned curious as she leaned over the brunet, "Wait. Do you think he passed out?" The question somehow made Riku want to laugh out loud, but he only snorted.

"I don't think it's that scary…" Riku tried.

"It's lame, yeah, but… That's odd. Well, no, not really. He hates horror movies." She nudged the brunet and he grumbled. He didn't stir, however.

"He does?" At Riku's question, Kairi nodded and folded her arms over her legs.

"Yeah… They give him nightmares. There was one night where…he wouldn't wake up from his dream. He just kept calling out for his mother. That was a long time ago and he hasn't had any that bad, to my knowledge. Has he?" Kairi looked at Riku with a bit of concern in her eyes before idly shifted a hair out of Sora's face with her pointer finger. She was visibly relieved when Riku took in the information and shook his head.

"No. Not one that I know of. He has had some rough spots but he managed to get through them." Kairi smiled and watched Riku's eyes linger on Sora's face.

"With your help, I'd imagine." Riku looked away, a bit uncomfortable. It was a touchy subject now, and he really didn't want to have to explain himself just yet.

"I try. I try so hard," he hesitated, leaning forward on his knees and wiping his hands over his face. "I just don't know anymore. What do I do when he's clearly in pain and won't tell me _why_ or what I can do to help? Sit there and let him suffer? Like I could." Riku twitched when Sora shifted on the sofa, his arm falling off the side. Kairi bit her lip and touched his shoulder reassuringly.

"I don't know. I'm sorry, I know you want answers, but I can't give them to you." Kairi scooted away and hugged her knees to her chest.

"Don't give me that. I only want to be able to help. What could be so terrible that I wouldn't be able to look at him the same. You know I'm not like that."

Kairi simply shook her head, refusing to break the promise she had made to her sleeping friend. "If you want to know about his past so badly, then ask him—it's not that hard. But trust me when I say it's not going to be something that's easy for him to talk about. He hasn't even told me that much." Riku calmly nodded and glanced at the window when he heard the light taps of the rain against the windows. With all the rain, it made him wonder how long it would be before it turned to snow.

"Can you just…tell me one thing?" When the redhead nodded slowly, Riku's hands tightened in the fabric of his loose jeans. "Something Sora said has been bothering me. It was about how his father…abused him."

Kairi gave a hesitant nod.

"Then those scars on Sora's body…?" Kairi sighed as Riku pieced everything together. Sora hadn't harmed himself—Riku knew that—but there were a few possibilities, mainly dealing with Seifer and bullying, but Riku should have realized that Sora's father had been the center of everything. All of Sora's trauma began with that man, it seemed.

"You can't see them as much as before, can you? The scars—well, the ones on his body." Riku ran his gaze up to her again and his chest tightened at the fallen look on her face.

"Please, ask him yourself if you need to know. You've already done so much that I'd hate to see you pull out now." With a light grunt, Kairi struggled to her feet and smiled at Riku, then Sora's sleeping form. "You're the only one of us who can get through to him."

Riku blinked at her smile. The only one?

"Ah, it's late. Time for me to get lost. I wouldn't want to keep you any longer from your cuddling with Sora. Goodnight, guys." She watched as Riku nodded before he nudged Sora's arm. When his friend didn't stir, Riku rolled his eyes and lifted Sora up and held him warily. He finally looked to Kairi to find her smiling.

"Thanks for tonight," he smiled in return.

"You take care of him. Oh! And let him know he's working late tomorrow night." Kairi gave a final wave before disappearing through the front door. Riku took in the silence for a moment before he eased his way into the bedroom, placing Sora onto the mattress carefully and throwing the sheets over him. He took over the entire bed in a manner of seconds.

"Sleep tight," he smiled slightly, brushing aside a bit of his friend's bangs so that he could poke his forehead. Laughing softly, Riku returned to the living room and turned off the lights. He also switched off the television before snatching a blanket and flopping down onto the sofa.

"God knows it'll take me a while to fall asleep." Riku sighed, but after a while the sudden loud buzzing of his cell phone made him jump. He sighed, letting his head fall back onto his pillow. What sane person texted at this hour? It was definitely now past two in the morning or so, and his phone wasall the way in the kitchen on the table…

"Not checking that until tomorrow." He ignored the echoed buzzing of his cell until it stopped. Then rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

"Aw yeah, I love the sofa." He muttered to himself, throwing his blanket around him a little tighter as he tried to at least make himself feel somewhat tired.

'_Stupid lumpy cushions.'_

It was going to be a long and restless night.

* * *

**.**.**.**

"Riku."

"Riiiiiiiku."

"RIKU!"

'_What is that?'_

At the highly unwarranted and irritating noise, Riku groaned and rolled over. He was in the process of waking up and the indistinguishable voice made him wonder if it was part of the dream that was just coming to an end. God, he just wanted to sleep.

"Wake up, goddammit!"

Though, the voice did sound very familiar now.

"I swear to Satan that if you don't wake up _now_, I will trash your flat, steal your shit—and maybe even Sora—and then drive off in _your_ car. And I'll smile doing it." Riku's eyes slipped open and he groggily, but quickly, sat up and caught a glimpse of red hair as he heard two other voices angrily protest—well, one was angry.

"_Axel_," Riku hissed and glared at the innocent expression his cousin was giving.

"Yes?"

"…What the flying _fuck_ are you doing here?" Riku glanced at the clock and groaned, "You couldn't have let me have some peace for a little longer?" Riku could have cried. Why were people always marching into his house—uninvited? How the hell did they even get in?

"Uh…" Riku lefted himself up with his elbows to see Sora scratching his arm, looking guilty. The two intruders hovered around the brunet and Axel shot Riku a broad grin.

"Hey, don't take it out on us. I sent you a message but you obviously didn't get off your arse to check it. More important things to do?" With an elbow he nudged Sora, who flushed and protested by shaking his head. The silver-haired male's lip curled back and he growled in irritation. Axel's smiled didn't fade.

"At two in the morning?" Riku asked, his voice flat.

"Busy night. I understand." The redhead shrugged innocently.

"_Axel_…" Riku and Roxas warned at the same time.

"Sorry, Riku. I let them in a while ago since they _promised_ to let you sleep," Sora shuffled his feet slightly and sent Axel a half-glare until Riku smiled at him.

"It's fine. But really, why are you both here? Again." Riku sat up and groaned at the cracking sound that came from his back. That did _not_ sound any kind of good.

"I like bothering you. And I'm bored." Axel grinned as he propped down on the sofa armrest. But he began examining his fingernails idly when Roxas glared at him.

"We were actually visiting my friends that live here in Dublin."

"Yeah, at the ass end." Axel said with so much contempt that Sora had to laugh.

"_Anyway_. He got into a fight with my friend Hayner and was overall just being a dickhead. I told them I'd come up another time—without Axel—and we pass through the area, so we just figured we'd say hi." Roxas snorted as Axel made a noise before he rolled his eyes and grunted. The redhead looked wounded, but still slid an arm around Roxas' waist when he got close enough.

"You can't take him anywhere," Riku laughed.

"It's not even _my_ fault! Everything was all fine and civil until he touched your ass. I had no problems with the pretty girl or the fat kid." Axel said in his defense.

"What? It's _entirely_ your fault. You seriously creeped Olette out—and Pence is not fat, god damn it! Leave them out of it. In fact, leave everyone out of it. Hayner's my best friend; why the hell would I take him over you _romantically_? He didn't touch my arse, by the way. You were imagining that, moron." The blonde rolled his eyes and caught the smile Sora had on his face.

"So if _I_ touched your ass…?" Axel teased, putting his arms around the short blonde's waist and brought their bodies closer together. "Oh, don't look so angry. You love me."

"For reasons entirely unknown." Roxas sighed against his lover and kept his arms crossed, ignoring the chuckles from the taller male.

After Riku had re-entered the room—he'd left to get a drink once Axel and Roxas had started bickering—Axel smirked at him and leaned down to give Roxas a kiss.

"I love you too, by the way," he spoke next to the blonde's ear and nipped at the outer shell, taking it between his teeth, and knew that his lover was greatly suppressing a moan when he kissed the sensitive spot behind his ear. The blonde attempted to push the pyro away, trying to be careful not to let the redhead's actions excite him, and fought with the redness lighting his features.

"L-Let go! What the hell is your problem? There are _people watching._" His eyes caught sight of Riku and Sora's features; the latter's being fully covered with a nice red colour and the former's looking rather green.

"Get a room. Preferably in a hotel far away," Riku muttered while Sora jumbled around with his hands. He was red in the face, but his smile grew and gave the couple an envious look.

"You guys have such a good relationship," he laughed when Roxas kept his face blank as Axel stroked his head and his arm.

"Don't we? I know Rox would never leave me. It's just way too fun to tease him." The red-haired male squeezed his boyfriend tighter to him and Sora chuckled as he looked at the two.

It was almost funny at how much taller Axel was than Roxas. Despite their different structures and heights, they looked so _right_ together that Sora was a little envious. Sora found himself wondering if there was anyone he'd look so good with.

"Why were you being such a douche to my friends if you knew this, then?" Roxas asked around a frown, looking upwards. Axel smirked at the blonde's grimace and poked the crease between his eyebrows.

"What do you want me to say? I'm a jealous guy. Why wouldn't I get a little upset at you smiling and laughing with another man?" He said raising his hands to his love's face and attempted to kiss him again, but Roxas pushed away early.

"S-Stop, you're probably making Sora uncomfortable." Roxas bit his lip, punching Axel in the side as he hoped that he wasn't scarring the poor boy.

"No, it's okay. PDA doesn't' gross me out or anything. I think it's great that you two are like that. I mean—not caring what others think. Or something…" Roxas listened to Sora's quiet voice with a smile and he nodded.

"That's a good thing to hear! But really, all this talk about _us_ is getting boring. What about _you_, shorty? Anyone out there get you all fired up?" The sudden question earned him a smack on his arm from his lover.

"Don't be so damn nosy. Sora didn't come out and force us to talk about our relationship, did he?" Roxas asked and leaned his head against Axel's chest. Axel laughed at this and started making gestures with his hands.

"No. But, clearly, we are gay." Axel lost it when Roxas went completely red in the face and blurted a jumble of words out. Sora couldn't tell if he was angry or just embarrassed, so he tried to lighten the mood.

"I hadn't noticed." Sora laughed. It took a few moments, but once he realized their questioning gazes were on him again— he couldn't focus.

"Anyway, as I was asking. I'm really curious now. Let me know if I'm being a nosy arsehole, though." Axel prodded on. Sora swallowed and bit the inside of his cheek as he folded his arms. Now, especially with the way Riku's eyes glimmered with curiosity, he was even more nervous. No one had ever really asked him a question like that and looked so interested while doing so.

"I…haven't really thought about it, to tell you the truth." Roxas nodded and Axel smirked when he saw the silver haired teen look away as if he hadn't been interested in the brunet's answer.

"That's a shame. I'm sure there are some people who've got their eyes on you." Axel's smirk broadened when he caught sight of Riku's glare.

"I don't think so," Sora laughed. Axel stared at him for a few moments, trying to gauge if he was serious or not. He had to admit; the kid was adorable. While no one compared to Roxas in his eyes, he could see how Riku had grown so attached. The redhead slid his legs over the armrest to plop down onto the sofa, while pulling a protesting Roxas with him.

"I don't think anyone would be attracted to someone like me that way. Not with… I'm not as interesting as you think." Sora looked down as Riku watched him with an incredulous expression on his face. Alarm bells went off in Riku's head because of the way Sora's hands immediately wrapped around himself defensively.

"Hey, come on now. Have some self-esteem. You really don't think that, do you?" Sora shook his head and waved his hands at the two male's concerned features.

"I, no, I just…" Sora frowned and backed up slowly, and Riku suddenly understood what he was so self-conscious about. He prayed he was wrong, but he couldn't stop himself from asking.

"It's those…scars, isn't it? Is that what you are talking about?" Sora's eyes opened up a little bit wider, but he nodded after a long moment. His arms twitched towards his stomach and sides reflexively, but he held back and crossed them instead.

"So you remember… They're disgusting, aren't they? I'm pathetic. I know. Just look at me." The brunet forced a laugh and closed his eyes when he felt them stinging with the tears he struggled to hold back. Even Axel sobered at the tone of Sora's voice.

"No, those scars aren't you're fault! Anyone who's put off by something like that doesn't deserve a damn second of your time." Riku defended, looking into Sora's eyes and trying desperately to cheer him up and make him see how utterly beautiful he was. He touched his shoulder lightly. "You _aren't_ disgusting or awful. Don't say that. How can you say that so readily? It's not true."

Riku bit his lip when Sora's head dropped and he frowned at the floor.

"What scars? Is it something you want to talk about, Sora?" Roxas took the opportunity to ask after the room had drifted into silence. His azure eyes locked with the brunet's when he looked over at the two, and he smiled reassuringly.

"I don't really want to talk about it… I'm sorry. I don't want you all to see me so…" Riku stepped closer to Sora, not once breaking eye contact. The brunet stared up at him and tried to smile, the brokenness of the expression tearing Riku up inside. He didn't wait; he simply placed his other hand on Sora's shoulders and pulled him in for a hug.

"No one's going to force you." Sora's wide-eyed gaze turned into confusion.

"What?" When the brunet's voice cracked, Riku locked his arms more tightly around his stunned friend.

"Whatever happened to you, no one is going to make you talk about it. What happened to your mother and…your father… I want to know because I want to help you. But I don't want to hear it if it makes you hurt."

The room was silent for a while, until Sora inhaled deeply and hugged Riku back a little tighter.

"My—" Sora brought his hand up to rest on his friend's back and he placed his head on his shoulder, his expression oddly calm despite the anxiousness he felt. "My father was a terrible man. He was the one who killed my mother and my… "

Riku's stomach dropped rather painfully when he felt Sora's fingers bury into his shirt. From somewhere behind him, he could hear Roxas inhale and Axel hiss out a curse.

"Sora, you—" The brunet pushed away from Riku and had a hard time keeping eye contact.

"Please, I just can't say anymore right now. What good will it do if you know?" Riku gritted his teeth together as he watched Sora keep a blank expression on his face.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry I forced you to explain. I had no reason to do that." Riku embraced Sora tightly and gritted his teeth, hating himself for causing the brunet even more pain. Despite everyone's warnings, he didn't think it would be as serious as it was. He should never have played down Sora's feelings like he did.

"It's not your fault—you didn't force anything. I want to tell you, so you don't have to worry anymore but…it still hurts." Riku slowly slipped his hands up to touch the sides of the brunet's face and drew them closer together.

"I understand. I won't ask anymore; not until you're ready to tell me, okay? God, just—I won't bring this up again. Can you forgive me?" Sora laughed a bit, though his eyes stung, and he reached up to let his fingers touch Riku's hand.

"Nothing to forgive," Sora leaned into the touch with a small smile.

"Weeeeelp, I was _not_ expecting this when I walked through the door today. Drama all around—" Axel said as he awkwardly rose to his feet. Roxas elbowed him harshly and Sora had to laugh at the face he pulled afterwards. He didn't blame them for feeling awkward—clearly, he should have been apologizing.

"No, don't take it out on Axel's fragile spleen. I was acting like such a baby, and for that I'm sorry." Sora apologized, sending his friends an rueful smile. Roxas shook his head and returned the look, walking over to ruffle Sora's hair.

"Everyone has things they're not proud of. Things they want to keep inside. You had every reason to react the way you did. Don't worry about it now." When he pulled away, Sora gave him a grateful look, almost wanting to hug him and never let go.

"Now that you've ruined the moment, I'm taking this time to ask how long you're planning on staying." Riku glanced over at his cousin, frowning when the redhead shrugged and glanced at his lover before answering.

"Actually, not as long as I had hoped this time. Roxas seems to be gettin' a little homesick." Roxas elbowed Axel and interjected, "No, I'm not. We've _actually_ been thinking about moving in somewhere around here, so we weren't going to take up too much of your time. I'm sure they've got places where we can afford. I did just make assistant manager, so that helps." Axel grinned and leaned his chin on Roxas' head. They both caught Sora's look of excitement and Riku's look of despair and laughed.

"Smashing…" Riku muttered and subconsciously linked his hands together behind the brunet's back. Axel noticed the look on the brunet's face when he silently realized that Riku wasn't planning on letting go. If he'd had a camera with him, he'd have gone crazy.

"Yo, cuz. I think Sora's getting a little tired of your brohug." Axel spoke tauntingly. It took a moment for Riku to look at Sora and freeze. He slowly unwound his arms and backed up, coughing when he realized that Sora still looked embarrassed. Fucking Axel.

"Just think of how often we'd get to hang out with you guys," Roxas said, trying not to laugh at the look on Riku's face.

"That'll be great, Roxas. I can't wait." The blonde's eyes softened as he stared at the brunet.

"It was great to see you again, Sora." Roxas moved to pat the brunet on the back and Sora laughed before enveloping the blonde in a tight bear hug.

"What about me?" Axel cried, reaching out to Sora. Riku scowled as he watched the exchange, but tried to play it off when they all looked at him. He hadn't even realized he was tapping his foot rapidly until all eyes were on him.

"Hey now, you don't even want us here. You should be smiling right now." Axel threw an arm around Riku's shoulder and the shorter of the two groaned.

"Besides, we'll leave you two alone. You looked pretty intimate a few moments ago." The redhead whispered, giving a wink and a cackle at his cousin's expression—which he was trying so hard to form a glare to send to the red-haired male, but his fire-red cheeks wouldn't allow it.

"Come on, dickhead." Roxas said dragging Axel by the arm.

"Sora! Don't forget me, my love! I'll think about you every day! Even…no, _especially_ in my dreams!" He called to Sora as Roxas dragged him out of the flat and the brunet blushed.

The two teens heard a loud and probably painful noise from outside their door and Sora winced. "Ouch, damn it!" The redhead's shout was shortly followed by loud and rapid footsteps and then, _"Roxas, wait! I was just kidding. Ow—what—Jesus Christ, that hurts!"_

With the slight bit of red still on his cheeks, the brunet let out a laugh and combed a hand through his hair. "They're the weirdest couple I've ever seen in my life. How do I put it… They're perfectly dysfunctional together." By the humored look on Riku's face, Sora guessed he agreed.

"It's funny because they started out seriously hating each other. Well, Roxas hated Axel and his annoying self. They fought for a while, but in the end I guess it was one of those love/hate things. Everything worked out." A genuine smile etched itself on his face and he watched the brunet fold his arms over his stomach.

"Though they still seem to fight." The brunet laughed and Riku nodded in exasperation.

"That's all Axel. Despite that, it's not hard to see that they're crazy about each other. Those two have been joined at the hip for as long as I can remember. Axel's twenty-five, and Roxas is twenty-three, just in case you were wondering." Riku's informed Sora, who blinked widely.

"They're older than us? I couldn't even tell. Holy crap, I actually thought Roxas was _younger_." Sora threw a hand to his forehead and his obvious bewilderment make Riku almost laugh.

Sora grew silent after that, looking down at his hands that he'd begun idly playing with. Riku didn't know whether or not he should interrupt or leave him be. After a few more seconds of waiting, he moved closer so that he was hovering over Sora's shoulder. His eyes scanned over his best friend and noticed the brunet's hesitation after he realized Riku was there.

"You okay? You're quiet, and I know you enough to know that that means you're probably hurting yourself up here." Riku prodded Sora's forehead and smiled when he got a laugh out of him. But Sora sobered a moment later and looked off to the side, his features wistful.

"No, it's just that… When they fight, I know that they don't really mean it and all, but it was different from the way my parents acted and I can't help but compare them. I remember… We had tried to get away – my mother tried so hard to protect us." Sora dropped onto the sofa and Riku slowly stood over him with an eased, understanding expression.

"But then _he_ found us," he put his head in his hands and swallowed thickly. As he dropped onto the sofa "…And I ran away."

Riku watched with that familiar earlier sinking feeling in his stomach as the brunet continued to speak. "I just ran like a damn coward. I couldn't even save my mother after all she had done to prevent it." Riku quickly sat next to the brunet and eased and arm around him steadily.

"It's not your fault. You were just a child, right? There wasn't anything you could've done." Riku soothingly massaged the brunet's back and he tucked his head under his chin. A few moments after Sora wiped at his eyes, he pulled back to look at Riku and the older male couldn't stand to see such an agonizing expression.

"Sora, don't cry." His silky voice struck at something inside the brunet as he ran his hand softly up the side of Sora's face and wiped away the few tears that actually managed to escape. "You don't have to say anymore if it's this painful. Come on, didn't I say not to force yourself? It's okay now…" Riku put his arms around Sora and pulled him close—nearly onto his lap.

"I promise that I will tell you." Sora pushed Riku away and frowned. "S-Sorry—I'm getting you all wet." He said, wiping at his eyes and Riku chuckled.

"No harm done. Look, why don't you take the day off. There's no way I'd be able to let you leave knowing how upset you are." Sora looked up at his friend's and nodded at his offer, chuckling. It almost felt like he was in high school again. Half of the students skipped anyway, so he figured one day wouldn't hurt. Especially not when it gave him time alone with his friend.

"Could we maybe, uh, maybe just hang out here for a while?" Riku flicked on the television and turned back to Sora with a smile.

"That a good enough answer? I'll get the drinks. Stay here and relax, okay?" He grinned when Sora looked visibly relieved as he grabbed the remote, setting the channel on what looked like a children's show. The sudden switching of stations snapped him out of his daze and reminded him that he had drinks to make and an evening to enjoy with his best friend.

With a smile on his face, Riku took to the kitchenette. He took the time to make his friend's drink and tapped on the counter until it was done, idly listening to the rapid flickering of the television as Sora continued to repeatedly change the channel. He let out a soft chuckle.

Making the decision to let Sora live with him was probably the best one he had ever made in his life. Before that, Riku's life seemed so dull and boring and he didn't know how the hell he motivated himself to do anything. He struggled to find inspiration for his artwork and he hadn't really made an effort to do much else—especially nothing having to do with being social.

But he also didn't need to make extra cabinet space for the extra boxes of hot chocolate Sora had bought.

After the steaming drinks were done, Riku slipped into the living room to find that Sora was curled up in a blanket, watching some cartoon that made him laugh.

"Oh, god, I have the sense of humor a middle school kid does." He snickered at the television when Riku took a seat next to him.

"What are you watching?" Riku's eyebrows arched in curiosity as he handed the Sora his mug and was thanked graciously.

"It's uh, Avatar, the Last Airbender." He explained taking a small sip but almost choked because he started to laugh again. Riku bit his lip at the expression and simple clutched his mug a little tighter. "It's a cartoon for kids, yeah, but I think it's really good."

"Never heard of it. Not complaining though, if you say it's good."

Sora couldn't help but smile as he situated his hot chocolate down on the coffee table. Somehow, sitting on the sofa and watching cartoons with Riku was the highlight of his whole life at the moment. He felt excited, yet calm at the same time. He never had anyone who really understood him until Riku. And as he watched the older male laugh, he was glad that he'd finally found someone he could be a complete retard with.

"Riku. Come here," After his command, the silver-haired male raised an eyebrow. But he complied and hesitantly scooted over, a cushion closer to his friend. When Sora wrapped the blanket that Riku had left on the sofa around both of them, Riku blinked. Sora could see that he was startled, and he started to panic when he thought the action might have been too forward.

"I-I, uh—"

"Well. This is definitely warmer than sitting alone." The low, hesitant voice that Riku spoke in made a pleasant shiver run down Sora's smile. He was positively beaming now.

"Can't watch cartoons without curling up in a blanket."

Riku laughed softly at this, trying not to wrap his arms around the brunet.

"Agreed."

* * *

**.**.**.**

Riku had been absentmindedly watching the cartoon for a while before he heard Sora's quiet, even breathing beside him.

It was still rather early, but that didn't stop Sora from dozing off. Riku could only guess that explaining what he had earlier really tired him out. He didn't blame him, either.

Riku carefully moved so that Sora could lie comfortably on top of him, and the silver haired teens arms rested on the small of the brunet's back, fingers intertwining contentedly.

"No, don't…eatthesheep." He heard the low mumble from Sora as he shifted in his arms, then he quickly held onto Riku as if he were a pillow. The way Sora's cheek was smashed up against Riku's chest and the trembling of his furrowed brows made the older laugh softly.

"What are you doing to me?" The older male brushed a strand of hair from the brunet's face.

Slowly, before he realized it, his hand caressed the brunet's face and he drifted down to place a brief, soft kiss on the brunet's cheek. He inhaled as a jolt shot through his chest and he _knew_. There was no way he'd feel something like that so intensely if he wasn't serious.

"God… I love you, Sora." Riku inhaled again and hoped that the pounding of his heart would not wake the brunet. He then glanced at the clock on the dvd player before turning back to his friend. Riku slowly and carefully sliding out from under him.

Running another hand over the brunet's face before he fixed the blanket around him, Riku almost wanted to laugh.

'_I've fallen so irretrievably in love that it isn't even funny.'_

After that, Riku moved to grab his jacket before he slipped open the front door and out of the flat.

Taking a stroll was the only way he'd be able to clear his head.

.….

**End - Chapter 9**

.….

* * *

OHOHOHO.

Hello, loves. I… I know this is super duper late. But I have a life and it has been being stepping all over the part of me that likes to update on time. Somewhat on time. Okay, I have no 'on time' when it comes to updates OTL (UGH. I hate the way it looks on . It looks so much prettier on my Word...)

I also recently picked up Final Fantasy XIII-2 and…haven't gotten to play it as much as I'd like with work and all /crey. But guys… Guys. Noel.

NOEL, GUYS.

NOEL.

All of the feelings for him. HE TOOK ALL MY FEELS FROM ME ;n; Should I somehow force him into the story? /shot

On another note, I'll also put up the 10th chapter here in a day or so because…I actually re-wrote/edited that one first because I thought that I had already posted _this_ chapter. I AM AN IDIOT. Herp derp.

So yes. All characters © Tetsuya Nomura and Square Enix and the quote in the beginning is from the song Say You Like Me by **We The Kings**. I make no profit from this. Which is fine, because reviews and favourites are more than enough /heart

And…you know…you can follow me on tumblr if you want. *coughcough*

http: / / endeavor-to-freefall. tumblr. com/  
Yeah. Just take out the spaces and what not :Db  
With that said…Iloveyouall.


	10. And I won't waste a minute without you

..…..

**Be My Last**

**-Chapter 10-**

..…..

* * *

_Show me what it's like_  
_to dream in black and white_

_So I can leave this world_  
_Tonight_

_Holding on too tight_  
_Breathe the breath of life_

_So I can leave this world_  
_Behind_

* * *

(_Riku's P.O.V_)  
-

If cold days would somehow just cease to exist…overall, life would be worth living.

I'd be happy.

"Holy _shit_, I can't even feel my feet anymore."

That said, going for a walk in negative degree weather should not have even crossed my mind. But it did. Definitely not one of the smartest things I admit to doing, but I really needed this time to think by myself.

I tried to hold in a cough as I zipped my jacket up higher, quickly breathing hot air onto my hands before slipping them into my pockets. Even the gravel beneath my crappy, old converse was just as freezing as the wind I was walking against. In all honesty, locking myself in the bedroom would have been a hell of a lot smarter than this, because now all I could focus on was not catching pneumonia.

But I _need_ to get back to the matter at hand.

And that is Sora.

It's kind of funny now that I really think about it. Not once had a thought to spare a moment and entertain the people who'd grown the nerve to ask me out. While that really wasn't fair on my part, I still justified it by telling myself they only cared about what I looked like and I wasn't looking for someone like that. I didn't know any of them at all, and overall I was tired of it.

This time it's so different and I'm not sure what I should do, because there's no turning around now that my feelings are now practically rooted to Sora.

Relationships in general make me jumpy and I've never been too affectionate with anyone, but I also _know_ that I don't want to drift away from Sora; especially because of these feelings. There's also no way I can stop being attracted to him now. This little fact scares the living hell out of me, because I haven't ever thought about anyone in this way. It's definitely unusual to find someone who is as kind and positive as Sora. He had the balance that people who were _too_ happy and people who were _too_ sad, didn't have—he had an ideal mixture of both those emotion along with everything else he felt.

He's unprejudiced. Genuine. _Beautiful_.

He cared for people—and when I say people, I mean _everyone_. He trusted and gave every bit of his heart to those in need and cared for them, perhaps on a deeper level than they deserved from him. I want to be able to make him experience this same weird, but beautiful jumble of feelings that wriggles into my heart just by glancing at him.

Sometimes I want to tell him how I feel—just to see what his reaction would be.

"This is going nowhere…" I sighed, kicking at the ground. Rearing myself out of this profound contemplation, I shifted my eyes to the darkening sky and flicked at the chain that hung from my belt. I had walked a good distance into town and I hadn't really thought of anything besides Sora. Speaking of, it was getting late and I hadn't even left a note for him or anything. This was just another reason added to the list of why I wanted to get him a damn mobile phone.

I kept moving until I turned around the block, the café immediately coming into my sight. So I sped towards the building, since the wind was making my eyes water painfully. There were still a few things I had to ask Kairi and now would be a great time to talk to her if she was still there.

When I opened the doors and reached up towards my coat zipper, I was met with a few of the customers' gazes as I shrugged it off and hung it up.

"Hello, friend!" I saw Kairi wipe her hands on her little apron and motion for me to follow as she stopped cleaning tables. Selphie was lounging against the cash register, but smiled when I get her a little wave. Selphie glanced around the place and I followed suit, not seeing anything but the few remaining patrons, wondering what she was looking for.

"Where's your butt-buddy?"

Oh.

She grinned as I shook my head and I tipped over the stack of menus she started playing with, enjoying her annoyed squeak.

"He's crashed on the sofa at home. Wait, _why_ 'butt-buddy' of all things?" I paused a moment and tried to keep my face as serious as possible when Selphie laughed oddly. I was here for some answers, not whatever the hell Selphie was hinting at. "No, never mind, forget that. I need to talk _about _him." The flashing image of Sora crying and draining out his emotions immediately popped up in my mind and I felt a frown tug at my lips.

"How much did he tell you?" I shrugged after Kairi and Selphie glanced at each other—a small, silent exchange going on between the two women. Something I knew not to ask about by now even if it did annoy me a bit.

"Almost everything, I'd guess." Or at least, I had assumed that was all there was. "It's a little frustrating that I can't do anything but wait for him. I hate sitting around." I situated myself on one of the chairs and tiredly rubbed my face before propping my head up with my hands. "There must be something else for me to do."

"There is." Selphie ambled around the counter to stand across from me and leaned forward.

"What?" Curious now, I watched Kairi grab a mug off of the shelf behind her and pour the black liquid in, handing it to me along with a few sugar and cream packets.

"I'm no expert, but I think that just spending time with him will help." Her eyes lit up and she touched my hand gently. It figures that they would say something like that—something so glaringly obvious that I should've realized the significance of it before. It was just hard and embarrassing to admit to myself. "You two are close. Anyone with eyes can see that. Besides, Sora told us before how much it means to him to be able spend time with you, whether you guys are talking or messing around. I haven't seen that very often with two guys your age." With another smile, the redhead handed me some more sugar packets when she noticed Selphie eyeing the ones I already had.

"O-Oh," I muttered as Selphie snagged a sugar packet and emptied it into her mouth. Then another, and then a few more different coloured packages. I looked at Kairi's scrunched up face, which matched my own, and chuckled as we watched Selphie indulge herself with the granulated powders for a few moments.

"It's nice because we only have a few more weeks before we get off for Christmas. We can do a crap-ton of stuff then. Parties all over the place." The brunette suggested, with another mouthful of various sugars. Kairi nodded happily and smacked Selphie's hand when she reached for yet another pink package. She patted the other girl's cheek after she started pouting and tossed her one last packet.

I smiled and sipped my coffee before speaking, "Hey, whatever keeps you all happy. And quiet."

"Oh, and while we're on this subject, you can take Sora to some secluded little romantic alley and finally profess your _burning, passionate_ man-love for him." Kairi made no efforts to keep the statement between the two of us as she walked to the back room, grinning when all eyes turned my way.

I could have died. If not from chocking on my coffee, then from embarrassment.

It must have been rather fun to watch my reaction, judging by the way Selphie and a few others started snorting – because hot coffee shooting out of my nose which made my face heat up, quite literally, must have been so _hilarious _to watch. Bastards.

"S-Secluded _alley_ isn't exactly on my list of romantic places, though." I coughed and sputtered—which I will be upset about later, for the reaction was only slightly unmanly. How the hell could she say that so loudly? Some of these people obviously knew Sora! I don't know what I would do if he heard something like that from one of them. Oh, god, my dignity was flying out the window.

"You really think we _all_don't know?" Kairi popped her head out of the doorway and smiled. Selphie nodded and clapped her hands together, folding them under the chin as she slipped her elbows onto the counter.

"You guys are so cute and lovey-dovey," Selphie cooed. I wiped my nose and choked again while Selphie waited on a customer behind the counter and Kairi took an order to a table.

"It's…not _love, _per say. Not exactly." I protested when it was just us again, but when I saw their smirking faces I knew there was no point in trying to hide it. Who was I kidding, anyway? I worshiped the fucking ground Sora walked on.

"Yeah, sure." After she motioned to one of the other employees, Kairi walked over to me and leaned on the counter.

"Are you afraid?"

I sobered at her expression and swallowed the lump that formed in my throat and quietly admitted, "I…I am. How could I not be? I've never felt like this. Not to mention it's not exactly normal to fall for your best friend—who's also a guy." I bit the inside of my cheek and looked away. I hated the way they could see right through me in a matter of seconds.

"That doesn't mean a damn thing and you know it. And just think about your situation. _Really_ think. You two aren't exactly "ordinary" now, are you? Why would you even want to be? Some people nowadays are so boring and by the book. I hate it." Selphie chuckled at my fierce expression and smoothed out my creased brow with her finger.

"What do you mean by 'not ordinary,' exactly?"

I watched Kairi smile as she wiped up the remainder of the mess I'd made earlier, which made me feel guilty. It wasn't like I had much room to argue, seeing as how they already knew I loved him, and how I'd rather die that admit to being _normal_. (Where was the creativity in that?)

"Well. For one, you guys sleep in the same bed." She lifted her finger to keep count and I looked away as I felt my face flush. Oh, god, they'd been keeping count. Somehow I should've known they'd bring the bed subject up. I'm more surprised they waited this long.

"So? I bet lots of people do that. It's a financial and space issue."

Kairi's unimpressed look at my reasoning silenced me and I watched her lift a second finger as she spoke. "You tell yourself that. Now for number two, Sora is always hovering around you. He's as attached to you as you are to him, in case you hadn't noticed. Why don't you just admit it? I have many more reasons, but I think you'd much rather skip them." I looked at Kairi and groaned. Not wanting to be subjected to her torture for any longer, I dropped my head in my hands.

"Fine, I _love_ him. I—I do. For God's sake, you lot _know_ I do!" I crumbled. Somehow, it should have been easier just knowing that they were aware of my feelings, but I still felt anxious. Kairi nodded and her eyes softened, and I could've sworn I saw a few tears gather.

"That's perfect, darling, but I'm not the one you should be confessing it to."

Selphie slowly reached for my cup and nodded, her eyes, I noticed, also seemed to well up. I felt something in my throat tighten—this was the first time I could clearly see just how much they cared for Sora, and for me, too.

"Listen to Kairi, and honestly tell him what you're feeling." She paused, face blank. "A little seducing wouldn't hurt either. You've got a damn fine body. And face. And arse, too, by the way. Use them." Selphie added as an afterthought and I coughed, looking away to hide the shocked/flustered look on my face.

"Selphie, dear, that's horrible! But nonetheless true. Sora's also got a soft spot for hugs, so don't forget that either." Kairi folded her arm and tapped her chin thoughtfully while I simply pinched the bridge of my nose. Even if they drove me up the wall, I really was glad I decided to talk to them.

"Thank you," I pulled Kairi into a hug and reached for Selphie, kissing her forehead when she couldn't quite return the hug from her position across the counter. "Seriously, you girls are angels." I grinned when both of them were fighting goofy smiles after I pulled back. If I didn't already have a sister, I'd put them into that position—even though I already considered them family.

"You're welcome, Riku." Kairi laughed and Selphie folded her arms, slightly red in the face after I messed up her hair.

"Get out of here, woman! Getting all sentimental on me… For shame," Selphie laughed, as she fixed her hair. "I'm sure you've got more important things you could be _doing, _anyway." With a suggestive grin, Selphie shooed me away from the counter after I handed her my money, rolling my eyes.

"I'm sure I could." I winked back, seeing Selphie make a face. "Later." I disregarded Selphie's last gesture and waved to Kairi as I grabbed my jacket off the coat rack by the door and strode out of the café. I'm sure the smile on my face made me look like an idiot, but I couldn't find a fuck to give.

Not when I'd found the motivation to at least try to tell Sora everything.

It was admittedly dark now, so I hurried down the block and ducked through a few alleys on the way back—laughing to myself as I remembered Kairi's words. The cold wind against my bare face didn't even faze me this time, as I crossed the street to the flat and wobbled up the stairs to the door and turned the knob. Locked.

"Ah."

I scowled and sifted through each of my pockets and my eyes narrowed further at the lack of keys within them. "Shit! Of _course_." I _would_ forget my—oh wait… I knocked on the door and shivered, stuffing my hands inside my jacket.

"Hey Sor, open up! It's freezing out here." I waited a few moments before I heard a loud thud and a groan shortly following. I knocked again hesitantly.

"…Sora?"I shifted from foot to foot when there was nothing but silence. "Dude, my nuts are going to freeze off out here!"

I finally heard the shuffling on the other side of the door getting closer until the door was quickly swung open, revealing the half-awake brunet behind it. I couldn't hold back a laugh when I looked at his hair, which was slightly wilder than usual. But the fact that he was in those white sweats with the blue stripes down the sides, and his black turtle neck—which only brought out all the shades of blue in his eyes—made my fingers ache for my camera.

"Riku? What are you doing out there?" He blinked sleepily and rubbed his face before trying to focus his disoriented gaze on me. I reached out and ran a hand through his hair, grinning when he yawned.

"Just went for a little walk. Sorry, I forgot my keys." Sora made and "o" shape with his mouth and slowly waddled back into the room and just barely managed to not trip over the blanket swaddling his shoulders. He rubbed at his eyes again and looked at the clock a small chuckle slipping past his lips.

"I've been asleep for almost three hours, yet I'm still tired. Someone stop me before I hibernate." He groaned and flopped over the sofa armrest onto the cushions while I threw my coat on the rack by the door. He moved once I walked over to sit beside him.

"There's no way you'd be able to stay in one place for that long. But really, you can go back to sleep if you want. It's been a long day." He leaned on me as I took the empty space next to him and he sighed, missing my expression soften.

"You're oddly warm from having just come back from a walk in subzero hypothermia weather." He smiled and leaned against my chest as another small, pleased sigh slipping past those peach lips. The strength of the urge I had to just slip my arms around him and press kisses all over him was almost painful. Instead, I chuckled and picked him up and held him against my chest.

"Whoa—hey! Hey, what are you doing?" He wrapped his blanketed arms around my neck and I laughed at his surprise. A few seconds after he got comfortable, Sora laughed and placed his head on my shoulder, letting out another yawn while I took a few steps forward.

"To the bed, chauffeur." I laughed at this, especially because of the drowsy way he said it.

"Oi, I'm not your chauffeur. Or pillow… Jeez, for the amount of food you eat, you're really light." I carried him to the bedroom and dumped him on the bed, where he quickly shed his blanket in favor of shimmying under the covers. Once he was content, he flashed me a smile.

"A few months of sleep doesn't sound all that bad."I returned the expression before I sat down on the edge of the bed and stripped off my pants and socks.

"You're going to be cold just wearing your boxers and t-shirt." I watched him sink deeper into the covers and sigh, "Ah, warmth." The pleased look on his face made me snort in amusement before I flicked off the light and the room was immediately cast into darkness, save for the light from the windows.

"Riku, where'd you go?"

I slid under the sheets and wrapped my arms around him, the corners of my mouth quirking up at his noise of surprise before I whispered, "Ah, warmth."

"H-Hey!" I chuckled as I imagined the pout on his face right now, since it was obvious through his voice. Sora gave an embarrassing little squeak as I wrapped him up tighter, and my grin widened when he shivered.

"Y-You're freezing!" The brunet half-heartedly attempted to scoot away but I wouldn't let him. He stopped after a moment and I wondered what was going through his head as I stared at him. Because my eyes adjusted to the dark, I could see him pretty clearly, and I flinched slightly when I realized he was close enough to feel me breathing and vice versa.

"I thought I was oddly warm?" Though I sounded calm, I couldn't suppress the erratic beating of my heart as I held him close—his hair tickling my face when he moved and I inhaled. Clearly, I was enjoying myself, but I highly prayed that he didn't notice this. He was so warm and his body fit perfectly against mine, like he was made to be held in my arms like this.

I listened to his small sigh as he draped an arm over my side.

"Hey, Riku. I-Is this… I mean—are you…" Sora sighed and I took the silence to mean that he was struggling to form a question, so I urged him by running my hand over his arm reassuringly. He shivered, but moved closer to me and my eyebrows rose at the action—his conscious action. I felt a little panicked because now he was close enough that surely he could _feel_ my heart beating.

"N-Never mind," he yawned again and I felt his body relax against my chest. "Anyway… I wanted to thank you." His voice came out in a small mumble.

"What for?"

"For earlier, you arse, what else?" He laughed at my grunt of protest before growing serious. "You listened and you honestly didn't blame or call me out for being such a coward. You've done so much for me without even asking for anything in return… Why wouldn't I thank you?" I locked eyes with him and tried to show him that I was smiling and that his words were everything to me, just in case he thought otherwise.

"Of course. And for the record, I never thought you were weak or a coward. I'd never think less of you for something like that. You know that I'm doing this of my own will, I'd never ask anything of you." Sora sighed and I watched his eyes shut.

"Riku. I'm grateful for that—for you. Don't tell Kairi and Selphie," Sora paused and laughed again, if a little nervously. "But you're my best friend." I felt his arms slide around to my back to clutch the fabric of my t-shirt. Though the word 'friend' stung a little bit, I still embraced him back. A part of me wanted to hit him for not realizing just how intimate we probably looked and how it was affecting me, but the other part just fell in love with him even more.

"Likewise, dork." I smiled again and heard Sora's snort turn into a yawn.

"Goodnight, Riku," he mumbled quietly. "Bigger dork."

"'Night…" That urge to kiss him returned full force as he leaned his head down so that he was almost touching my neck. It hurt. So much that the ache in my chest was burning and making it hard for me to simply breathe. So instead of an unwarranted surprise attack, I buried my face into his soft hair and brought him closer to my own body, my arms sliding around his waist.

Nothing was worth compromising this… What we had right here.

Nothing.

With thoughts like that, and the soft sound of Sora's breathing, it wasn't long at all before sleep took over.

* * *

(_Sora's P.O.V_)  
-

Being in his arms like this really causes havoc within my poor, poor abused heart.

I'm not sure how long I've been awake—just staring at his sleeping face—but I know that it's well past midnight. And I also know that this is slightly creepy.

But I couldn't sleep, and I didn't want to move and risk waking him up.

With a small sigh, I continued to take in my friend's facial features with great detail. He has such a peaceful expression while he's asleep, I've noticed. Though this isn't the first time I've stared at him like this, it is the first time I've done so with the intent of memorizing every detail.

I have to wonder if he ever does the same… Well, he had to—if he painted that picture—though it was really for artistic purposes only.

Just thinking about the painting made my face heat up. It was so…so _perfect_. And not because it was me on that canvas—that definitely sounded a bit conceited—but just because of the colours and the detail and just that fact that it was drawn by _Riku_.

I know I probably shouldn't be doing this. He'd probably be freaked out if he knew I _stared_ at him while he _slept_, for the love of Christ.

Regardless of that fact, I smiled and moved his bangs aside to get the full view of his face. I blinked and ran my fingers delicately across his features and soon feel his breath ghost over my skin. I was so close; all I had to do was lift my head up and…

It's incredible. To want to kiss him this badly—something that's new to me—which admittedly feels a little awkward because I never really wanted anything like this for myself. But even knowing that, having him hold me like this was more than enough for me. I simply moved closer against him and thought about the earlier events.

Does he think differently about me now that he knows a good portion of my past? I can't guess what he feels now. I don't want pity and unnecessary worry over my problems but, unlike everyone else, Riku is one of the few people who make an effort to comfort me instead of remaining quiet or awkwardly trying to tell me everything's okay. And lately…he's been there for me when I do have a good cry. Which isn't that often, but still enough that I know he _has_ to be annoyed by it.

It's been a while since I've been this serious. Sometimes it's tough to keep up a positive front when I'm depressed.

However, it's not like I'm _miserable_—I don't have any reason to be. Just knowing that I'm this close with Riku is proof that I'm just being a selfish brat. Wanting him to love me… To touch me… I have no reason to want more than this.

But that will not get to me. Trying to find something I can do to be of use to him, after he's going through all the trouble of letting me stay here, can't be that hard…but it still is. I don't know what I'm supposed to do now. It was the same with Kairi. I felt so useless. I still feel that way even though I've been told I shouldn't.

"Hm."

While I was spacing out I failed to notice Riku open his eyes and while I contemplated the ways to repay him for his kindness, I heard a faint chuckle. I also failed to notice I had been absentmindedly running my hand through his soft, layered hair.

Oh, sweet baby Christ, how_ embarrassing._

"Ah—g-good morning!" I squiggled out of his arms and moved to sit up. He chuckled again and sluggishly rolled out of the bed, stretching and yawning.

"Morning," he mumbled as he discarded his shirt and glanced back at me, a slow smile braking across his stunning and tired face. "My classes today don't start 'till noon, so I'll just get a shower now and then I'll make something to eat. Let me know if you need anything from the bathroom while I'm in there." He sleepily trudged into the other room while I nodded—even though he had not been able to see the weak action.

That_ show-off_. I had to fight to control the composed expression on my face when I had glanced over the smooth, tight contours of his _stupidly_ fit body. It should be illegal to have that sort of body without working to maintain it. Genetics just weren't fair—mine can't even begin to bloody compete with that.

I swear he was mocking me.

"For the love of…"

I blew out a loud sigh as I fell back against the mattress and latched onto the pillow Riku had been using, inhaling the scent I was beginning to get accustomed to. I sighed when I remembered that I didn't really have the time to be squishing my face into Riku's pillow—no, again, that was just creepy—but I did nothing other than shift around lazily. I groaned at the thought of leaving the flat.

I eventually slinked out of bed, put some clean clothes on—after deciding to get a shower a little later—and glanced at the clock, watching the little hand tick past the miniature numbers. It was only ten o' clock.

Wholeheartedly wishing for the days to speed up until Christmas break, I sighed as I went through my drawers for some clothes. The hunt for my necklace not going as well, I trotted towards the other door, stopping when I heard the water shut off.

"You done, Riku?" I called and after a few moments I saw the door knob twist.

"Yeah."

Riku opened the door before I could exit the bedroom and I stared at him. He had a towel around his waist and his damp hair was clinging to his skin, especially his face. All I could do was watch as the water droplets rolled from his hair down over his defined chest and were absorbed into his towel. His lowly placed towel. Oh, he _had_to be doing this on purpose. There's no way he hadn't noticed my stumbling around like a fool.

"Your turn." I snapped out of my daze to look at his face.

"No, I-I'm good. Got a shower last night after one of my naps." I watched him walk to the dresser before I turned around and hurried out. "I'll make some breakfast this time!" I scurried out to the kitchen and fumbled around for some pans.

That damn _tease. _If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was trying to give me a heart attack. The way he was standing there with only a stupid towel clinging to him. I'm just glad I was able to give a proper response—any other guy in my position probably would have—so that he didn't get suspicious. The only problem was that I still felt the heat on my cheeks as I prepared our food.

"Get a hold of yourself…" I inhaled deeply and placed a shaky hand over my mouth.

I've definitely never felt _this_ attracted to anyone before in my life.

My heart was still racing when we exchanged smiles as he walked into the kitchen after he was fully dressed—thank god—in another one of his perfectly fitted band t-shirts that I rather liked, and a simple pair of jeans.

"Mmm. Smells good," he leaned over me to peek into the skillet, his hand warm at the base of my lower back. I tried not to react too strongly to that and gave him a smile.

"I just hope it tastes all right. Don't want to poison you until you least suspect it." I grinned and wiped my hands on the dishtowel before I handed him the plate of messy eggs and toast. I also tried not to look to eager as I waited for his reaction after I set the plate down. The look he gave me was priceless.

"Just as long as it's edible and keeps me alive or a few hours, I don't care if it's poisoned. I'm starving."

My heart flipped again as a smile stretched across his pale lips after he shoveled a fork-full of the food into his mouth. "But thank you. It's delicious. At least one of us can cook," he laughed. Something as small as what he says about my _cooking_ shouldn't be that big of a deal but, I just can't help but get excited and smile like an idiot when it involves getting too see _his_ big smile.

"You're welcome. Glad you like it," I fumbled with my words and tapped my fingers together as I tried to focus on my own breakfast. I don't know how he manages to stir me up like this. If he saw my nervousness, he didn't say or do anything about it, so I was glad for that.

It's ridiculous. He smiles and I feel like my heart is going to explode. I'm starting to think I should ask Kairi what to do about this… She's a girly girl. She's good with these sorts of things.

"Hey, Sora?" Riku's hand snapped in front of my face and I stared at the few silver rings adorned on his long fingers a moment too long.

"Huh? What?" I noticed at his amused expression as he rose to his feet and discarded his empty plate. He glanced at me from over his shoulder and smiled, "We don't have much time left. Your classes start at ten-thirty, right? Do you have everything ready? I'll drive you, then I'll head to the market to get a few things, since I know we're out of milk and some other stuff." He rambled for a bit, so I took the time to glance at the clock. Oh man.

"Thanks! Be right back." I hurried to the bedroom and checked over myself and tried to at least tame my hair. As I was putting my shoes on I felt Riku's gaze on me and when I looked back, he smoothed out the dark jacket he just slipped over his other shirt and quickly looked away.

"Ready?" He opened the door for me as I grabbed my bag and dusted off my pants.

"Ready to sleep through statistics…? Check. Let's go." I sighed and walked with him to the car, talking about a few things as we hustled through the brisk, cool air.

"It's been a while since I've actually driven anywhere, hasn't it? Everything basically within walking distance. Now it's too cold for that." He grimaced before he took in the platinum car's exterior with a grin, and I watched as he walked over to open the passenger door.

"Ladies first." He mentioned to the car, bowing chivalrously.

"I'm not getting in until you do, then." I elbowed him, laughing. He made a noise and stumbled, but started laughed as he rolled his eyes and went around the other side.

"I should just get a moped. Save a fortune in gas. Everything's basically a block from here, anyway." He mumbled, looking like he was seriously thinking about it until I laughed.

"Can I get one of those side-cars then?" Riku choked on his laughter as he pulled the vehicle out of the flat and turned down the street. I turned towards him and tried not to let myself get too caught up in the way he looked so free when he really laughed at something—especially something I said.

"Oh god, I would _love_to see you in one of those." He snickered and I just leaned back and smiled.

I felt his gaze occasionally linger on me as we drove to the college. It wasn't a far drive, but because it was getting colder I don't think I'd want to walk the whole ten minutes in that weather. Thinking idly about what I wanted to do today, I finally sighed and slumped farther into the seat.

"I hope it snows soon." I ran my finger in circles along the window and Riku snorted.

"You like snow?" I looked at him to find his eyes on the road, although I was sure they were resting on me half-a-second ago. I grinned and tapped against the window before I turned to him.

"Of course! You can't tell me you didn't adore snow days when you were younger! Going out and building igloos and sled riding. And of course, the hot chocolate always warms me up afterwards." Oh, crap, I never could talk about these things without getting really excited.

"Somehow I figured you'd say that." His amused smile made my own lips twitch until I had a large smile plastered on my face. "Personally I hate the cold, but I guess the snow is nice to look at, if anything." He stared at me for a moment—which wasn't safe because he was driving—and I chuckled.

"What is it?" I turned my head to the side. Why was he staring like that? Before I could ask him again, he quickly averted his gaze to the road.

"Nothin'..." He shrugged and I took to absentmindedly fiddling with my bag as a long silence encircled the two of us. A few moments after I saw the good ol' college billboard on the campus approaching, and tried not to feel slightly disappointed. Riku slowly rolled the car to a stop at the main entrance and I finally sighed.

"Well, I'll see you later," I heard his soft murmur and I turned back to smile at him.

"Yep. I'll see you at home." I flashed him a bigger grin as I reached out for the small handle and opened the door.

"…Wait." I felt Riku's hand seize my arm and he hesitantly pulled me back. I blinked in confusion as I fell into my seat again. I had briefly closed my eyes upon impact and when I opened them, I was gazing directly into Riku's eyes.

"W—Huh?"

Riku stared at me with such a broad range of emotions in his eyes that my heart accelerated as he moved closer and softly spoke, "C…Can I…"

My own eyes widened as he moved closer still, and I noticed a conflicted expression spread over his face. He stopped and closed his eyes, pulling away too fast for my liking—although I was still confused.

"R-Riku?" I saw a small twinge of redness on his cheeks, but the emotion in his eyes made me chew on my lower lip.

"I just… No, nothing. I forgot to tell you to have a good day." He smiled at me and I nodded; still, the hesitance in his actions alerted me.

"O-Okay. You too," I smiled, trying not to hurry out of the car and into the school. Not once looking back until I had slipped past a corner. When I did peer around the wall, I noticed that through the front doors, I could still see the car in its former position for a few more moments before it pulled away.

'_What the hell was that…?'_ I clutched a hand against my convulsing chest and leaned against the wall. The look in Riku's eyes as he held onto my arm was already imprinted into my brain and probably would be for some time. What was he trying to say? What was he trying to _do_?

"Ugh! I'm so confused!" I covered my face with my hands and groaned.

"Oh, Sora. When are you not?" I shrieked and jumped off the wall to glance around the hallway. "I've been waiting for you. What's got you so worked up? " I turned towards the laughter to see my redheaded friend standing with one hand on her bag strap, the other on her hip, and an amused expression lighting her face.

"Kairi… Hey." I waved and scampered over to her, ignoring the other students in the hall.

"Hey. So any particular reason why were you talking to yourself a few moments ago?" She smiled at me and poked my arm as we walked. I internally groaned when I couldn't come up with a good enough excuse. Nothing was more frustrating than Kairi when she wanted information. I mean, I could barely think straight right now after what just occurred. I had no clue what to say.

"It's Riku," I admitted to her as I walked ahead a few steps. Well, nothing was better than the truth…

"Hmm?" She obviously sounded amused at something. I looked at her questioningly. "What about _Riku_?" The way she articulated his name made me nervous and I took a step away.

"I… He— He was…" Oh, boy. What is wrong with me lately? The words I want to say just get clogged in my throat, disabling me from speaking. I groaned and dropped my shoulders, bag almost falling off, in defeat when I heard Kairi chuckle.

"You won't be able to focus on anything if he's the only thing on your mind." I felt my cheeks heat up, not as much as before, but enough for her to see and she took the opportunity to tease me with an, "Aww, you're so cute." She patted my cheek and I made another noise of frustration, hoping the people bustling by hadn't noticed the embarrassing display.

"I don't have time for this, Kai!" I whispered and batted her hand away, "I have to get to class… See you later." A pout darkened her features when she heard the reluctance in my voice. She was doing it on purpose, but it didn't make me feel any better about rushing off.

"All right, tons of fun. Try to focus on your actual _schoolwork _today." I chuckled at this and the wink she followed up with. Somehow it amazed me to think about just how well she knew me. Still, I wasn't used to being teased over another _person_.

"What makes you so sure I'm always thinking about him?" Her violet eyes locked with mine and she smiled as she moved closer. "I can tell by the look on your face. I have to wonder what thoughts go on in your innocent little head while thinking about someone as sexy as him," she may have whispered the last part, but she may as well shouted them because they startled me just the same. I choked on my own spit as she calmly smiled.

"W-_What_?" How could she be so straightforward with an innocent expression like that? I knew her personality

"You like him," she stated simply and I grabbed my chest.

"I…I'm not. No, he doesn't…" I tried to protest, but it clearly wasn't working. Somehow denying what I felt for my friend didn't seem like the right thing to do. I am pretty sure that I have fallen in love with him over the course of a few simple months. That in and of itself made something inside my chest warm up pleasantly. Why would I deny this?

"You don't have to hide it. The look on your face after you got out of the car proves that something has been going on between you two." I silently cursed and folded my arms. So, she saw me get out of the car. I looked at the redhead before me and bit my lip. Today, however, I just felt like being difficult with her.

"Y-You always get carried away like this. It's just your imagination." I sucked in a breath and started to walk in the opposite direction.

"Is it?"

I stopped short.

After I turned to her face, remaining silent at the seriousness I was able to see in her expression, she didn't say another word.

"I—" What if I'd misinterpreted her reactions? Would she mock me for liking Riku—perhaps more than I should—or would she hate me? Was I jumping to conclusions?

"Don't look at me like that, Sora. There isn't any reason for you to deny it—in fact; I think you should go after this. You never know if he might feel the same." She winked at me and headed for her class, leaving me to stand in the middle of the hall, staring at the floor with my face lit up. I'm starting to think I haven't been giving my auburn-haired friend enough credit.

"I…"

She was right. No matter how much I thought about it, Kairi was absolutely right. But, I don't think I'll ever have the strength to admit it to him. If he were to reject me… What if he's disgusted that his best male friend had a little bit more than a crush on him? If he were to find that out, I'm not sure how I would be able to deal with him leaving.

I wouldn't be able to handle that. It could create unnecessary awkwardness for my best friend. I don't know if I could handle losing the friendship we have now.

I shook my head. No, I can't let this get me down. Something like this… No way I'd let turn it into something to be sad about.

"Riku would never react like that." I smiled as I walked to my classroom, feeling a bit lighter. I want to become the most important person in his life. It's a selfish thing to wish for, I know. At the same time, I know already that he has an irreplaceable spot in my heart and that will never change.

It's just terrifying.

Not knowing if I hold that same importance to him…

"What am I doing?" Clearing my head, I walked to an empty seat and took it, dropping my head on the table.

It was going to take a miracle to get through this day with my sanity intact.

* * *

_(Riku's P.O.V)  
-_

Dear God. What am I doing?

What did I almost _do_?

I've been out here in the flat parking lot for ten minutes—just sitting here in my car—staring out the windshield and clutching my head. Never mind that I was a mindless husk walking through the supermarket. God knows how I managed to get _anything_ done before I have to leave for class.

"Damn it." I'm getting nowhere fast and I'm in a losing battle with him. A battle he doesn't even know he's taking part in.

That innocent smile and those sky blue eyes – they're so fervent that my heart beats out of synch if he just glances at me. I have to wonder, if I had moved and inch closer, what would he have done? I really think I would have kissed him. My self-control was barely with me after I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. I saw the look on his face as I leaned towards him. His flushed face. His wide eyes. His scent.

It drove me crazy.

It's a wonder I haven't already blurted out my feelings in my recent state of disorder.

I sighed and turned my car keys. What if I can't do it when I find the right moment? I could just back out at any time, running like a child from my own feelings. There's also the issue of him liking someone else. Though, I'd imagine he would have told me if he did.

'_How hard it is to plan all this out.'_ Even driving around for a while didn't help to clear my thoughts. _Jesus_, there's barely a single minute when this guy isn't on my mind. I grumbled to myself as I staggered up the stairs, grocery bags slowing me down slightly. It didn't take long to put everything away and realize I had less than thirty minutes until my first class.

I turned around and went into the bedroom, dropping face first into the mattress.

"I'm so pathetic." I laughed humorlessly, the sound absorbed by the sheets my face was buried into. I don't even know where to start with him. It was hard to put these kinds of feelings into actual words—especially when the feelings are even harder to comprehend mentally. But it's really only a matter of time until it gets to the point where I won't be able to hide my love for him.

My mind flicked to the thought of what my friend was doing right now. What did he think of my little action?

I decided to let it all go for a little while and dug my mobile out of my pocket, turning it on. I still had some time to kill, so I started playing the songs I kept on it.

"_-All this feels strange and untrue  
And I won't waste a minute, without you—"_

No. Next. This still was not helping to get my mind off the brunet. In fact, it seems to be making me think about him even _more. _I love you, randomized playlist_. 'You know me so well,'_ I thought, irritated.

"_-I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh.  
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain…away—"_

Next.

"_G-G-Girl I gotta know, how you dance like that,  
D-D-Dance like that, Ya dance like—"_

…Skip. Fucking Axel needs to stop touching my phone.

"_If you only knew  
I'm hanging by a thread, the web I spin for you__—"_

No.

_"__Oh, how I've tried to get you out of my head.  
And I lied, broken words I said. Never thought—"_

"Oh, this is just ridiculous." I impatiently flicked at the button, turning the song again—not particularly caring where it ended up this time. Wasn't there anything better to listen to that angsty love songs when you're…angsty and in love? Jesus, that sounds terrible.

"_-And I´d give up forever to touch you  
´Cause I know that you feel me somehow  
You´re the closest to heaven that I´ll ever—"_

That last song was just too much. I turned the music off. Seriously, what the hell? Nothing like listening to the first song that reminded me of my situation with Sora. I'd almost managed to kill enough time by just being depressed, so that was good enough. Maybe I can focus on my artwork to get my mind off all of these stressful things.

I didn't take long to get back towards the university. Hopefully by now, Sora's forgotten all about my little display from earlier. Although I wasn't as upset as I thought that I wouldn't get to see him much today, so maybe he'd get some time to himself to think. I know I needed time.

Either way, I'm just going to try to get though the day without further embarrassing myself.

Yeah.

That wasn't going to happen.

* * *

_(Normal P.O.V)  
-_

Time flows on.

If you're not careful, it can pass by faster and faster and before you know it…things have changed.

"Oh, hey! Riku, dude, look at all the snow!"

A month can pass in the blink of an eye, Riku was aware of this now more than ever. The groaning male rolled over to see his brunet friend standing by the window—nose undoubtedly pressed to the glass—and smiling at how much more of the frozen flakes that had piled up over the night. He rolled his eyes but still smiled, because no one had the capacity to be so _awake_ at the unholy hour of nine in the morning like Sora did.

"Snow~! OH, HELL YES." The over-eager brunet grinned and jumped on the bed, bouncing his friend up and down slightly. "Come on, let's go outside!" Riku groaned and pulled the covers over Sora when the brunet got close enough and pulled him into a tight hold.

"It's extremely early; why are you not sleeping? You're always sleeping…" Sora laughed into his friend's embrace, but quickly escaped and got to his feet.

"Sleep when it's snowing? Impossible. I'm going to go call Kai. Last night she told me she wanted to do something today." Riku sighed and ran a hand through his disheveled hair as soon as Sora left for the living room.

"It's already a week until Christmas," he sighed. Speaking of Kairi, so much time had passed since he last talked with her about his situation.

'_At least_ _I've made a little bit of progress…' _At least they were able to touch or embrace each other without being asked questions. It had become so natural that they sometimes even did it subconsciously.

Riku rolled onto his stomach as he heard the brunet talking excitedly in the other room, the lilt in his voice rising at some parts of the conversation.

"Wake up, it's snowing—! I—huh? Yeah, I know what time it is. But… I know, but we can go—I know! Hey, I am _not_! No. No, Riku's already awake—Jesus, don't sound so miserable!" Riku's entire body shook with his laughter as his friend's annoyed protests echoed into the room. While the other remained on the phone, Riku drew in a breath and tried to fall back asleep. But he then opened an eye as his friend came back into the room.

"Is everyone but me pissed off today?" The brunet eased onto the bed and his sky-blue eyes searched for his friend's face. Riku twisted his head to get a better look at the brunet, and grinned.

"Only when you wake them up at eight in the morning."

"You're all lazy." Sora pouted and took the opportunity to throw himself on Riku and steal back his pillow, "Get up, get up! It is snowing and life is great and I am _so_ awake right now." He laughed and poked Riku's cheeks before Riku grabbed his arms and opened his eyes to look at his friend. Sora was sitting directly on top of him. This caused him to inhale, looking up into Sora's clear irises as the brunet leaned closer. He didn't move an inch, he didn't even blink, as Sora cupped the sides of his face when he noticed this and asked, worried, "Is something wrong, Riku? You look pale."

Riku's breath hitched as his eyes widened and he pushed Sora off of him. The brunet bounced slightly as he landed off to the side, and he immediately sent his friend a questioning glance.

"I—"

"No, sorry, Sora."

"Riku, wh—" Riku's made sure his bangs covered any view of his face as he interrupted his friend. One look at him and it would all be over.

"So what did Kairi say? Other than probably a few choice words about how you woke her up." Riku didn't look back. He was already standing and looking for a heavier shirt to put on, mumbling that it was ridiculously cold. As least that was a decent cover up of why he really had goose bumps.

Sora remained silent for a few moments and tapped his fingers over the comforter he was sitting on—a smile hesitantly tugging at his lips when he finally caught Riku glancing at him. "She said that we could go to Selphie's house for some food and stuff. There's a park with a decent hill not too far from there, if you're up for some sled riding action." Riku looked at Sora again and offered him a grin.

"If you're up for it, I am."

It was already a good ways into winter break, and Riku still felt uneasy about telling the brunet about his feelings. He had gotten so caught up in spending time with his friend that he hadn't even _thought_ of how to approach the subject.

"Ugh. I still don't want to be awake right now." Riku settled back into the bed and buried himself in the covers when he couldn't find his sweatshirt.

Sora chuckled at the large heap and he crawled closer to his friend. "Hmmyeah, but there's always body heat." The brunet let a bit of pink slip onto his cheeks as he sat down, folding his legs and fiddling with the drawstring on his sweatpants. Riku blinked. Was Sora…flirting? Regardless, he couldn't help but chuckle as he held up the covers for Sora when the brunet nudged him.

"If we're going to be running up and down that big hill all day, we're going to need rest, aren't we? Well, I don't know about you. _I_ will." Riku yawned and moved over for Sora to lie down. After his friend's yawn, the brunet's mouth opened wide and then settled into a content smile.

"It is still kind of early…" Sora coughed before snuggling into his pillow.

'_Maintain a safe distance and you'll be fine, Maintain a safe distance… Maintain it, Riku.'_

Riku was brought out of his thoughts by Sora's tiny snores.

"Wha? Really?" His bemused expression eased and he laughed softly, because it really wasn't all that surprising.

"So you weren't as awake as you thought. Such a weirdo," he ran his hand through Sora's hair and then down his cheek. "But that's why I…" The silver-haired male chose not to finish his sentence and stuffed his hands under the sheets to search for the brunet's, intertwining their fingers when he finally felt the other's skin against his palm.

**.**.**.**

"Guys… _Guys_~"

When the silver haired teen struggled to open his annoyingly heavy eyelids, two blurred figures appeared above him. He was pretty sure those weren't there before…

"Do we really have to wake them? They look so funny squished together like that! Plus, you know, this could be good blackmail material."

Riku rubbed his eyes and focused on the two women at his bedside. Definitely not supposed to be there. He probably should have been more surprised to see the two intruders than he actually was. (Which actually wasn't a whole lot, but it was still early and he was still technically asleep.)

"Do I really want to know why you're in here standing over me like this?"

Riku moved to sit up but was stopped by the sleeping brunet latched onto his stomach.

Oh.

That's why.

From the way Kairi was looking at him, he knew that _she_knew what he was feeling and thinking. He also silently thought about changing the locks on the front door.

"Oh, I wish I brought my camera." Selphie whined while Kairi pretended to snap an imaginary picture before she gave Riku another knowing look. This one, however, Riku was actually worried about.

"Have you told him yet?" She asked quietly and Selphie's focus returned in order to intently stare at him expectantly, awaiting his answer. Riku bit his lip as he shook his head and was met with their disappointed sighs.

"Well tonight's going to be the perfect opportunity then," Selphie had a bit of trouble concealing her excitement and Kairi gave him a simple thumbs up.

"What do you mean?" One of Riku's delicate silver brows arched as he questioned the women.

"You're really slow. We're going to spend all day together doing friend bonding stuff." Kairi let her grin widen. "Which I imagine you're already quite good at."

"Well, I do live with him," Riku deadpanned.

"Touché. But we can do some stuff outside and then head back to my place." It was Selphie's turn to grin down at him. "Then, when we go back for hot chocolate and food and then… You can pull spiky aside and put the moves on him before he even knows what's going on. It's brilliant." Riku wasn't sure if he should be flattered or worried that Selphie had already planned this out for him. God, he hoped they weren't planning on trying to follow him or lurk in the shadows somewhere. That was if he even wanted to try it like she had just explained.

"You are really bad at this romance thing, you know." Riku looked up at the two with a smile that contradicted the exasperation in his voice.

"It's not like you'd know the difference, what with all the shit-load of experience _you_ have," her sarcasm came in waves, "Now wake up your soon-to-be lover." Selphie smiled and poked Riku's cheek as he shot her a humorless look. But he obeyed and shifted, leaning himself closer to the brunet. Kairi bit her finger while Selphie grinned widely as they watched Riku lean towards Sora's neck.

"Sora," he whispered into the brunet's ear, "Get up." His lips lightly brushed Sora's ear as he spoke, which he hadn't meant to do initially, but watching Kairi and Selphie look at each other made him laugh lowly. Sora also stirred at this.

"Wow, he's got such a sexy voice." Selphie dramatically placed her arm over her forehead and fell against Kairi, who made an amused noise as she pushed her away.

"Riku…"

When his name was called, he glanced down at the brunet to see him breathing softly.

"Hm?" Riku tapped his friend and tilted his head. "What is it, Sora?" His viridian eyes widened slightly when he realized that the brunet was still asleep.

"Riku," Sora clutched Riku's shirt and his lips parted.

"Hey… I think he's dreaming about you." Kairi leaned forward, hovering over the bed curiously. "Sora. Wake up," she whispered closely to his ear, just as Riku had done but the brunet barely stirred, so she tickled his side gently and he groaned.

"No." Sora squirmed and his eyes fluttered open. There was a brief moment where he almost fell back down into Riku's arms, but a familiar glimpse of red hair caught his attention. "Kai… Kairi? What are you doing here?" He struggled to sit up and was once again almost on top of Riku, staring down at him innocently when the taller boy coughed and held himself up with his elbows.

"Is it time to go?"

Sora looked his friend's eagerly and both girls nodded, suppressing more noises of their obvious amusement while Riku fell backwards into the mattress – defeated. Selphie smirked at Sora's obvious contentment with where he was still leaning on his friend.

"Yeah. But you look more than happy to stay here, though." Selphie laughed when Sora shifted, looking confused as he glanced at Riku's bluish face.

"I… I'd like to…breathe sometime soon." Riku gasped out and Sora made a surprised noise, realizing he was suffocating his friend.

"Sh-Shit! Sorry, sorry! Are you okay?" Sora shuffled off of his friend to instead to hover over him, with his hand on the silver-haired male's chest.

"I'm fine. But, I think we should get ready. Bring an extra set of clothes also, since everyone seems to want to do stuff outside." Riku grimaced at the thought of the cold while Sora hopped off the bed and quickly rummaged through the drawers.

"This is so great; it didn't snow like this last year." Sora whistled as he dug through his clothes, and his friend's all glanced at each other with amused smiles on their faces. "Wait right here!" In a frenzy, Sora hurried around the room—gathering whatever clothes he could before scampering through the bathroom door and shutting it behind him. Riku already felt exhausted just from seeing all the energy Sora was burning up.

"Oh, man. You're gonna be feeling pain tomorrow," Selphie explained as she hopped on the bed and folded her legs.

"Why do you say that?" Riku slipped off the bed after Selphie made herself comfortable, and headed for the closet.

"With the way Sora's all hyper now, just think about how many times he'll have you running up and down that hill." She fell back onto the bed. Riku grabbed his chain necklaces and also picked a pair of jeans and a tight, long-sleeved shirt while the girls looked at the door that had just been opened.

"Oh, I can't wait," he muttered to himself.

"Wow, Sor. That was a quick shower." Kairi giggled as her friend rubbed his towel over his head furiously, looking somewhat of some type of windblown porcupine when he was done. Riku laughed loudly at his hairdo and swiveled around him to get to the bathroom, but not before messing up his friend's hair even more.

"It's a good look for you," he teased before he shut the door. Taking a little longer than his friend to get ready, Riku exited the bathroom when he was done to find Sora sitting on the bed next to Kairi, now covered in all sorts of winter apparel—from a large jacket to a hat and matching gloves. Riku eyed the fuzzy pompom dangling from the hat and barely repressed a laugh.

"Not surprised." He walked over to flick the pompom that was attached to the hat and the brunet pulled at the strings that covered his ears. "You sure go all out, don't you?" The taller male smirked at the pout he received.

"Don't come crying to me when you are sneezing all over the place and stuck in bed with pneumonia. Or if your ears fall off." Riku laughed at the brunet's warning and pulled his heaviest coat and scarf out of the closet before shutting it.

"I'll remember that. Okay, I think we're ready to go." He slipped on the coat and scarf and a pair of boots while he waited for the girls to put their coat's back on.

"Finally!" Sora joyfully twirled around to the front door and paused for a moment, watching his friend stare at him in silence. Once their growing smiles started to freak him out, he backed up a bit. "W-What?" He asked, flushing. Riku almost tackled him then and there, but simply moved closer and turned him around with a laugh. Sora looked back at him even after Riku began pushing him, but the taller only smiled.

"Nothing. Let's go make the most of it. Snow only lasts for so long."

Sora wasn't going to argue there.

**.**.**.**

The drive to Selphie's didn't take as long as Riku had originally thought.

"So, where is this hill?" Riku asked as he walked alongside his bundled friends. He glanced behind them, sighing when he could no longer see his friend's house.

"Not too much further. See the park entrance? A little past that." Kairi's muffled voice called out. Riku around Sora towards his two female friends, laughing and shaking his head at the way they had their scarves up around their noses. His eyes eventually returned to Sora, who was already hurrying through the snow.

"Come on; pick up the pace, guys!" He called as he ran ahead of them. The three left behind looked at each other before trying to catch up.

"E-Easy for you to say—you're not carrying anything, Sora!" Selphie yelled back to her friend as she dragged her sled behind her. She was kept cursing at it for getting stuck and almost flying away with the wind—being a small, circular pink sled made of some kind of plastic, the wind seemed to like knocking it against the back of her legs. Kairi had one of Selphie's large inner tubes and was faring better than her other friend. Riku himself had pulled along his assigned sled, being given the biggest one so he and Sora could share. Of course Selphie and Kairi had been smiling when she gave it to him.

"Look at him! He's running like there's not a billion feet of snow in his way." Kairi said, smiling at the brunet who had now stopped to trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue. Ignoring the small conversation going on next him, Riku located the hill just past the fence around the park—the hill Sora was heading towards—and groaned. Just _looking_ at the steepness of it made him sore.

"Oh, hell."

Riku looked back at the two women nervously, hoping they'd have some pity on him. The brunette was sporting a large grin as she patted Riku's shoulder and Kairi just shrugged.

"Told you so. Oh, don't look so scared. I'm sure your big muscle-man body can handle that little mound now, can't it?" Selphie laughed and ran towards Sora, throwing her arms in the air as she shouted, "Chaaaaarge!" Sora's mockingly maniacal laugh resounded as he tackled her into the snow when she got close enough, sending the sled and snow flying.

"Ah, holy shit! It's cold!" Selphie yelled as she sat up. The two snow-covered brunets laughed even as they stood and brushed themselves off.

"You carry this stuff, I wanna sled ride!" She took off towards the hill leaving the other brunet sitting in the snow.

"Hey!" Sora laughed and followed after her, with Kairi trailing behind. Riku smiled and grabbed the sled with his free hand.

"Wait up!" He called and Sora watched his silver-haired friend trudge up the hill.

"Come on, Riku," after the brunet yelled, Selphie turned around to see Riku struggling to the top and laughed at him. "Haul some ass! We're waiting!"

Riku grumbled to himself as he towed the sleds up with him and blew out a breath, "I…am not…looking forward to walking back up." Sora propped himself on the sled and smiled and Riku watched as the brunet patted the space behind him. He wasn't sure if he should look as happy as he felt, so he coughed and nodded.

"Don't worry; you'll be too busy having fun to notice the excruciating pain, now get on!"

"…Somehow that doesn't reassure—"

"HELL YE-HE-HEEEES!"

Riku turned as Selphie's loud wail cut him off. He watched his other friends shoot down the hill on their sled and his insides twisted in an excitement that he was sure he was far too old for, but didn't care. It had been _years_ since the last time he had done something like this, after all. He stopped watching the girls after they hit a mound of snow and flipped off into the snow. Laughing, he situated onto the sled behind Sora and wrapped his arms around the slender waist, placing his legs on the side of it. It was sort of like Selphie's pink one, except it was green and rectangular instead of circular.

It had taken him a moment to fight off the tingling sensation that shot up his spine—this was the result of folding his arms over Sora's stomach and the feeling of the other male's back resting against his chest. Honestly, he was more content to just sit like this than to actually go down the hill.

"Are you ready?" Riku spoke softly next to the Sora's ear so that he could hear him, blinking when the younger male only shivered and nodded in reply. With a grin, Riku shifted and pushed off the ground in order to gain enough traction to guide them down the hill as well. The sound of Sora's laughter immediately filled his ears and soon he felt himself joining in. They had gotten about half-way down the hill when a ton of snow shot back into their faces as the sled hit a bump and sent them through the air and to the ground again just as Kairi and Selphie had; though they were sent rolling off the sled in the process.

Riku had never felt such enjoyment from sled riding—and getting potentially bruising injuries.

"I'm going to be feeling that tomorrow," Sora finally said from somewhere to his left. Sitting up and glaring at the snow he spit out, Riku turned towards his friend the moment he heard his bright laughter. Riku watched him rise to his knees and dust off the clinging snow and then look towards the top of the hill, where Kairi and Selphie were laughing at them.

"Try not to wipeout so hard next time, ladies!" They heard Selphie's shout and then turned to look at each other.

"Like _you_ did?" With a delighted laugh, Sora took hold of Riku's hand and the sled and started for the hill again. In the middle of their upwards trek, a sudden smile broke across Riku's face when he realized that he wasn't the least bit cold. Sora had been right. It might just have been the hand still wrapped around his, but Riku was sure that whatever was keeping him warm was caused by his friend.

And about a good twenty minutes later, he also noted that Sora was right about not feeling the pain of walking up the stupid hill repeatedly.

But his comrades could.

"I _can't_…go on anymore." Selphie collapsed and rolled around on the ground, collecting white clumps of snow all over her heavily bundled up body. Her hat had fallen off and her hair was almost completely covered with snow, making the poor girl very, uncomfortably cold.

"I know what you mean," Kairi fell to her knees and rested next to Selphie while fixing her damp gloves.

"What? Don't quit now!" Sora ran towards them and held his hands out to his sides. He was smiling, but his brows creased slightly as he asked, "Are you sure you want to go back? We've been having so much fun."

Sora was right. Every trip up and down the hill, with the occasional snowball thrown in between had been every bit as entertaining as they thought it'd be. And it had been extremely amusing to watch Selphie turn her sled into a makeshift snowboard—making it nearly three feet before falling—and making an full-body indent in the snow.

"I know, but we want to go back and make some hot chocolate before our hands fall off. Besides," she sniffled, "Runny noses aren't attractive at _all_, Sora." Selphie watched Sora pout and throw snow at her for using his weakness for hot chocolate to get her way.

"We haven't even been out here that long, you babies." Sora bent down to smile at them, helping them both up.

"Why don't you and Riku hang out here a little more. Make a snowman or something." Kairi brushed herself off before sending a quick, almost subtle wink to Riku. He glared at her futilely to which she only smiled at.

"Okay. That sound all right to you?" The brunet glanced at his tired friend, who moved his bangs out of the way and sighed. He did nod, however, because watching Sora's face light up afterwards made all of the soreness to come worth it.

"Only if I get to name it," Riku smiled and Sora nudged him.

"All right then." Selphie linked arms with Kairi and the two giggled as they turned around. "We'll meet you back at my house. Don't get lost or anything." She grinned. Sora didn't catch the look she sent to Riku, and waved as his two friends walked down the hill.

"Come on, Riku." Sora dropped to his knees and gathered the snow.

Riku laughed softly at the brunet's expression. He was trying so hard to keep the snow together, and with a look of utmost concentration on his face. There was a nice silence as Riku sat in the snow, pushing it together idly, letting Sora do most of the work.

"You know… I used to do this all the time when I was a kid." Riku spoke, turning his head as Sora began to pack snow into a large heap. "As I got older I grew out of it, naturally, but I'd still watch my sister build them with my mom and dad." Sora quietly rolled the large snowball along the ground and listened to his friend before responding.

"Really?" Riku nodded, blinking when a few snowflakes stuck to his eyelashes.

"Yeah. Here, I think this is big enough." Riku placed the snowman's middle together as he spoke. "Did you do this sort of thing with your family?" It was a careless question, really. But with the cheerful manner that Sora kept up, sometimes Riku wondered if Sora wouldn't mind talking about some of the happier times in his past.

"All the time," Sora laughed in response, "Mom would always name them something weird, too." Sora smiled as he started rolling the head. Riku couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, you have to tell me what she named them. Don't just leave me hanging." Riku took off his scarf and draped it around the body after Sora place the head upon the newly formed snowman's icy shoulders. The brunet's eyes lit up and Riku silently watched as the snow stuck and clung to his hair and even his eyelashes.

"Dear Lord, you don't know the half of it. Silly things like Frost-Buns and Puffballs. I was really young then, so I thought they were funny." Sora smiled and placed his hat on the snowman's lumpy head.

"Well, then I guess we need to give this one a name." Riku spoke as he drew a face with his fingers. "I think he looks like a Eugene. Or maybe a Virgil." Riku laughed and glanced at the brunet.

"Please tell me you'd have better names if this were your child…" Sora looked at him in a way that Riku couldn't handle, so he turned and laughed, hunching over slightly as he grabbed at his stomach. After that, Riku prodded Sora's red nose.

"Oh, and you can do better? Fine. What names have you got?" He placed a hand on his hip, rolling his eyes and smiling playfully as he awaited his friend's answer. Sora thought about it for a moment and smiled.

"At least something a little more dignified. That _is_ an expensive scarf…and hat. How about Reginald?" Riku stared at him for a while, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

"Reginald." Riku snorted again, watching Sora hide his own laughter behind his gloved hand. "And you really made fun of my names?" Riku elbowed him.

"I say we just keep simple… Bob could work." Sora's hands remained on his hips as he looked at the snowman.

"Bob it is. Very dignified." Sora brushed the imaginary dirt off of their new creation when his friend agreed. "Now our buddy is finally complete," Sora took a small moment to smile up at Riku, his grin revealing white teeth when the other male returned the gesture.

"He's gorgeous," Riku teased and earned a laugh from Sora as they viewed Bob the Snowman in all of his frozen glory. They both felt proud of their creation, though when the wind started to pick up, the two decided that it was time to bid Bob farewell. But not before taking back their clothes.

"Ah. I really could use some hot chocolate right about now." A shiver wracked through the brunet's body and he hugged himself.

"If Selphie actually has enough to keep you satisfied, I'll eat my scarf." Riku smiled when Sora's arm shot out sideways and pushed him before the two quickly scurried down the hill and into the small park.

"You know. It really is nice tonight. I almost feel kind of bad we left so many tracks and all that back there." At the brunet's quiet observation, Riku nodded and glanced around to see for himself—catching sight of the slides and swings that were covered with snow, along with the trees and the small benches that lined the small area. It didn't take long to find the road that led back to Selphie's.

Taking the time to stop and simply bask in the blissful emotions inside of him, Sora looked up to the gray sky and stretched his arms upward as if he could touch the fluffy-looking clouds. Even though it was dark, the snow light up the entire park.

"Speaking of…do you think we could rest a bit?" Sora asked and pointed to the very last bench near the park's exit. Because Riku only smiled in reply, Sora took that to mean it was okay and walked on. He tried to keep his body from shaking too much as he and Riku continued to the bench under a dimly light lantern post. Once he had gotten excited from the bright scenery and he stopped for a moment, there was no way to stop the heat from lighting up his cheeks.

"It's so relaxing out here." Sora caught snowflakes in his glove before he turned to look at Riku. He could only stare at his friend's content smile for so long before he turned his head down. There he caught sight of their footprints in the snow and turned back around as an idea popped into his head.

"Hey Riku, snow angel!" The brunet spread his arms out and fell back into the snow, flailing his arms and legs to create the holy snow indent. Riku blinked in surprise a moment before he walked over to him, looking down at the brunet who began to chuckle. "Your turn," he grabbed Riku's hand and pulled the teen down to his side.

"Wah—" Riku laughed and did so and even if he felt rather silly, the pleased look Sora had focused on him made it better. When Sora laughed and rose to his feet, Riku followed and gazed down at their creations—the angelic shapes side by side. Riku watched as the brunet drew two neat halos above the heads on the indents before standing up to gave Riku the victory sign.

"Now, my night is complete."

Riku couldn't help but laugh, what with snow clinging to every part of the back of Sora's body. After he helped brush him off, they had finally made it to the bench and sat down, content to sit in silence for a few moments. Sora took in their surroundings from his place on the bench and sighed. It was a clear night, at best. The snow wasn't falling hard, and he was glad for that.

"You cold?" Riku turned to the brunet and opened his mouth to speak, but closed it and simply gazed over his friend. Sora sniffled and gave his friend his usual grin. Riku couldn't help but think he was similar to those angels they'd just modeled the shapes after in the snow.

"Nope."

Riku chuckled at his thoughts and removed his gloves to stretch his fingers.

"Don't you just love being outside on nights like this?" Sora smiled and leaned back so that he had a clear view of the sky.

"When it's not cold as balls, yes." Riku grinned as Sora snickered. But when the brunet's hand found his, he let out a startled breath.

"Really. I'm happy. Happier than I've been in a long time." Riku turned to stare at his friend, though Sora's gaze was still fixated on the stars.

"Hm," Riku made a happy noise, "It's funny. I'm definitely not one for the cold in any case, but tonight…I'd do it all over even if it were a million degrees colder than it is right now. So yeah, in short, I'm happy too."

"Happy that you didn't get hypothermia?" Sora asked, smiling.

"Happy that I didn't get hypothermia, yes." Riku agreed with a laugh. It took several minutes before Riku finally looked over at Sora. He was still staring upwards, but there was something vacant about his gaze that made Riku reach out to touch his shoulder.

"I really did have fun tonight, Sora. Thank you," He smiled widely and Sora blinked, looking away.

"…Me too." At Sora's lack of a substantial response, Riku continued.

"Really. Earlier you said happier than you've been in a while, I want you to know how much I agree with that. Spending time with you guys is something I've gotten used to and now I don't think I could ever live without it. I don't think I've ever had friends as close as you all. It's… It's something I can't find the words to tell you how much you mean to me. Is that hard to understand? I'm not good at this stuff…"

Sora smiled but nodded his head, taking his hat off his head and looking down at it, playing idly with the pompom.

"Even knowing about my past…you'd still say that?" Sora asked, refusing to look away from his hat. Riku'd be lying if he said the question didn't surprise him.

"What does your past have to do with anything?" Riku asked slowly, trying to gauge the look that Sora suddenly flung towards him. "I didn't make friends with your past. I made friends with you and nothing will ever change my feelings for you," he inhaled as he wondered if Sora realized just which _feelings_ he was talking about.

"Riku—"

"Nothing ever happens by dwelling on the old stuff, anyway. So don't worry, I'm with you now because you make me laugh and I can talk with you about anything. You make me happy. Why would I want anything more?" Riku asked, try not to let the contradicting words to that last statement bubble up.

Sora just sat in a silence that Riku could clearly see was drawn out by his astonishment.

"I-I just…" The hitch in Sora's breath made Riku lean forward in order to see him better. He really wished he hadn't, because Sora was clearly struggling with his emotions—and the water clinging to his bottom lashes wasn't helping.

"Sora—"

"Don't look!" Sora stood up, wiping at his eyes. "You always…_always_…see this side of me. I can't stand it," he suppressed a sob and started walking away. Riku stood and followed him.

"Wait. Sora, listen," Riku reached for his arm but Sora pulled away. When he did, Riku saw his brows creasing and his eyes still so sad.

"_No_. Just stop it! You say these things that make me feel so…so damn confused and I can't," he paused and turned back around, "I don't know what to do anymore! I just feel like I'm bothering you all the time with this—with everything I do and I have no clue why. I don't want to feel like this, but I can't stop! I _can't_. I can't stand making you look like that, either. Because you _do_ look worried and tired, you know." Sora laughed, wiping at his face again and Riku's heart hurt at the forced smile in contrast with his pained expression.

"Sora… You can talk to me about _anything_, you know that. Don't hold all these things in. Of course I'm going to be worried when something upsets you. But that's why I need you to tell me what's wrong." Riku stood still, staring at the ground. If Sora thought he couldn't share these things, then Riku realized that he'd been doing a piss poor job as a friend. Harsh blow, that was.

"I _can't_! Don't you get it?"

"Why can't you?" Riku asked. Sora pulled away and started walking further, seeing Selphie's house coming into view.

"I don't like making people worry. I don't want anyone to get involved with my problems, surely you get that. Let's just go. Forget about this. I'm fine."

Riku gritted his teeth together and moved in front of the smaller male. Enough was enough.

"No."

"Riku, please." Sora closed his eyes and started to walk around him.

"Sora—"

"_Just drop it_!" The brunet shouted, startling himself more than Riku and he inhaled, eyes welling up again. "…Just leave me alone." Sora choked, moving on ahead while Riku balled his hands into fists. He grabbed Sora's shoulder and turned him around.

"Why won't you let me in?" He asked lowly, trying not to sound betrayed. Sora still didn't look at him and pulled away.

"It's none of your business." Sora spoke, his voice careful and soft—every bit as tired as he had claimed Riku was. Riku's hand fell from his shoulder and he didn't say anything. Sora continued forward and Riku waited a few moments before following. It was the first time he'd ever heard Sora shout, or the first time they'd ever acted so distant towards each other.

It had taken Riku a few moments to realize that Sora had been crying silently, and as his gloved hands went to his face Riku felt himself lose control.

"Stop running!" He shouted, watching Sora jump and turn his head to look back. Confused, but startled, Sora blinked rapidly.

"But I'm not—"

"You say you _can't_ tell me anything, but you already have. And I told you that I didn't care what your father did—his actions aren't yours and he's not _you_, so stop running from this. Do you think I _like_ seeing you hurt and hide your problems from me? Don't you trust me at all? I want to fucking help you, Sora! You say it's none of my business, but it became so when I started to care about you and you let me become your friend." Riku stopped, inhaling and calming himself down before he pushed Sora away. He hadn't even realized that he'd been yelling, but the look on Sora's face was enough proof.

"Don't hide yourself from me," Riku whispered when he was close enough to grab Sora's wrists and get a better look into his eyes.

Sora's brows furrowed and Riku's heart clenched when a few tears fell down his face. Riku moved his thumb up to brush away the stray tears until Sora batted his hand away, sobbing now.

"Just stop!" He shouted before he turned and broke into a run for Selphie's house. Riku didn't even have time to be surprised before his feet were already taking him after his friend.

"Sora! _Wait!_"

This wasn't what he wanted.

"_Sora!_"

This was far from what he wanted.

Seeing Sora run from him made his chest ache, but it only made his legs work faster until he caught up and grabbed Sora's arm. By now, they'd made it close enough that they were just at the back porch on Selphie's house. He jerked Sora towards him and pushed him back against the porch, the brunet's back pressed flat up against a pillar.

Waiting for their breathing to calm down, Riku gritted his teeth and searched his friend's clear, watery eyes.

"Why…did you run?" He asked quietly, watching the conflict run through his friend's expression.

"Riku." Sora sagged against the wall, his chest heaving.

"I'm not going to force you to tell me anything. Just don't run from me. What's going on with you, Sora? Is it my fault? I didn't mean to push you… I'm sor—"

The sudden weight of Sora's body falling against his cut him off, and he exhaled when he felt Sora's arms wrap around him. Sora was still crying, just a little less than before.

"It's okay," Riku soothed as he wrapped his arms around his shaking friend and embraced him tightly. "I'm sorry. Don't cry, please." Riku closed his eyes and pulled Sora closer, running a comforting hand through the other's hair.

"Don't apologize. I'm the idiot, here." Sora spoke, thought it was muffled by Riku's jacket. "I'm scared, Riku. I've never talked about this with anyone—but I want you to know. You deserve a reason, after everything, but…I don't want you to leave me."

Riku pulled back and stared down at his friend.

"Don't. I'd never leave you because of something like this. Or because of your past. I already told you that." Riku smiled down at him, petting his hair softly. "Come on, dorkface, let's get you inside. They'll kill me if you catch a—"

"No." Sora pulled back, but slid his hand down into Riku's and pulled him up the back stairs onto the porch. Riku was surprised, but still let himself be led to the small wicker sofa that was placed near the back door. He glanced through the window above the seat and was slightly relived that he could see Kairi and Selphie in the other room, talking amongst themselves.

But his attention returned to Sora when the brunet pulled him down to sit.

"No more running," Sora said around a small smile and Riku sighed as he reached a hand up to wipe away his friend's tears. He nodded however, and waited patiently for his friend to start.

"I'm so tired of keeping everything in like this… I trust you, I do, so please…"

"You can tell me whatever you feel you need to," Riku touched his hand in what he hoped to be a reassuring way. It seemed to work, because Sora finally gave him a smile.

"Do you remember? I told you we had tried to move away. We went wherever we could. Mom, Ven, and I. Oh, Ventus was my brother. I don't think I ever told you that…" He paused and Riku shook his head, letting him continue. "We stayed with a friend of my mom's for a while. Everything was so great then, staying together in a nice little house in the middle of nowhere. Ven liked it because there was so much open space to run. He loved running," Sora laughed at wiped at his eyes. "I think that's why I felt that name was perfect for him. He could run like the wind, you know?"

Sora took a moment and sighed, leaning forward so that his arms were resting on his knees.

"We were seven at the time, not really knowing or caring what went on around us. Then one day, everything just went downhill. I knew that my father abused her, I knew. That was why we had moved around, leaving him no warning or notice. So when he showed up that day…"

"Sora, it's all right," Riku shifted the slightest bit closer and Sora flashed him the most grateful smile he'd ever seen in his life.

"I know it is. You're wonderful, Riku. That's why I can tell you this." Sora smiled, fighting to stay strong as Riku's arm snaked around him and pulled him into a hug, which he returned.

"I'm here." Riku whispered, feeling Sora shake slightly against him.

"I know," Sora cursed his voice for cracking and his eyes for watering, but he forced himself to pull back a bit to continue. "I was in the living room with my mother when Ventus had rushed in. He was white as a sheet, and I'll never forget looking over his head to see _him_ standing in the open front door. My father didn't say anything for so long, but I think that made me even more terrified. Mom was already up and shouting at him to leave. But he wouldn't budge. He didn't say or do anything, but stare at us all. There was so much hatred in his eyes, Riku. I remember everything so vividly."

Riku didn't say a thing as Sora placed his head in his hands, voice oddly calm.

"He had a gun. I saw it in his coat pocket, but I don't think anyone else did. That's what made it even harder to react to. So when he reached for it, I stopped breathing. I froze. Choked up. I knew what was going to happen and I… I was so _goddamned_ scared that I couldn't even warn anyone!" Sora finally choked, continuing when he felt Riku's arm around him.

"He shot her in the head. And Ven in the stomach." Sora sobbed, wiping at his face as he searched blindly for Riku's hand. The silver-haired male was shocked, to say the least. Learning of Sora's mother's—and also brother's—deaths so suddenly. He kept his face calm and pulled Sora closer than before so that he was almost sitting on him, not wanting him to continue. He was clearly hurt.

"That's enough. Shh, Sora, it's going to be all right."

"N-No, it's okay. I'm fine, I can continue… I already feel lighter. I need this." He sniffed, but didn't pull back this time, holding Riku back tightly. "My mother's friend, Lauria, had been there too, having already called the police while my father had…shot Ven and my mother. I remember Lauria running up to my father and reaching for his gun, struggling for a good while. I blacked out after the third gunshot. It wasn't until after I woke up in the hospital that I realized he'd shot Lauria in her hip and…that I had lost my family. I was only seven, yet I felt so tired and alone that night. So tired of everything. It was terrifying."

Riku closed his eyes and tucked Sora's head under his chin and allowed the brunet to steady his heaving chest. They sat in silence for a while before he heard Sora sigh.

"After that, Lauria healed up and took me in. I moved here with her and she sent me to school, where I met Kairi. Long story short, Kairi and I became inseparable. And then, in junior year of high school, Lauria got really sick. She became ill frequently, but I knew that it was different this time. I stayed with Kairi for a long while, not wanting to slow down her recovery in any way… But it wasn't something she could fight. I think, looking back, I should have stayed with her. Maybe she could've… Maybe she wouldn't have felt so tired. I knew she was—we both were. After she died, I moved in with Kairi and her parents. I owe them so much. They gave me a job at the café and then…" Sora laughed through his tears, though he'd been just letting them fall as he spoke, and Riku felt him shift so that their eyes met.

"I met you."

Sora inhaled, turning his head away when he realized that he'd spoken with such clear-cut emotion.

Riku felt his throat tighten. He couldn't even _imagine_ the pain that his best friend had kept to himself for so long. No one would ever be able to tell by first glance, that such a person would have such a torn and painful past. To think that underneath that beautiful, innocent smile so much hurt had been masked for the sake of others… If this was torture for _Riku_…how did _Sora_ manage to conceal away such a level of agony behind that smile of his?

"That's right." Riku gently rubbed his hands along Sora's back, and although he could find no words to console the brunet—no matter what he would say, there wasn't anything that would take away all the pain that had etched itself into the brunet's heart—the only thing he could do was hold his friend tightly in his arms.

"Sora…" Riku pressed his lips to Sora's eyes, softly brushing over each eyelash as he rubbed his thumb in small circles along the brunet's cheek. "Listen to me," At those words, Sora looked at his friend with those deep, emotional eyes and it took all of Riku's resolve _not_ to press sweet kisses to that equally sweet mouth.

"Y-Yes?" Sora leaned into the older male's touch.

"I can't tell you not to feel sad or that everything is all okay, because we both know that it's not. What happened to you, I wish I could do something to change it, but I can't. And for that, I'm sorry. But I _can_ help you move on. Whenever you feel sad…or whenever you want to talk about anything—everything—you know I'll be there. I'll listen. I won't ever let you feel tired and alone. Got it?" Riku smiled and ruffled his friend's hair. "You're strong, Sora; I know you'll get through this." Riku once again kissed Sora's eyelashes—ridding them of the icy tears.

The brunet was amazed at how his friend was so good at telling him exactly what he wanted to hear. Sora shivered and bit his lip as his hands twisted in the front of Riku's jacket. He couldn't help but feel that his friend had spoke those cajoling words from the depths of his heart. No lies and no pity. For that, he couldn't be more grateful.

"Thank you, R-Riku. I didn't mean to turn you into my therapist," Sora laughed, warmth shooting through him when Riku joined in. "But I'm glad it was you. I trust you more than anyone in this world, Riku."

"I'll be your therapist if you want me to. I just want all of this pressure off your chest. And you know I trust you just as much." Riku closed his eyes and nodded, his ungloved hand stroking the brunet's cheek as he connected their foreheads. "You've no idea how much I care for you."

When they both pulled back, Sora stared into Riku's eyes and smiled. They didn't move for a while, doing nothing more than staring at each other, until Sora realized that he was half in Riku's lap. Coughing, he untangled himself and stood up, wiping at his eyes.

"W-Well, that was nice." He blurted out, flushing deeply as he gathered the courage to look back down at his friend. Riku was staring at him oddly, serious and curios and something else taking over his features. Sora wasn't sure what he was thinking.

He coughed again and started walking off the porch, staring resolutely at the ground while he failed to calm himself down. Riku's soft footsteps behind him didn't help either. And the sudden hand around his wrist definitely made it worse.

"Sora…"

"What is it?" Sora asked slowly. He blinked when he turned to find Riku staring down at him, leaving only an inch of space between their bodies. Sora hadn't pulled away either, though, his heart beating mile a minute.

"Sora, I…" The silence was deafening. Only the sounds of their two erratically beating hearts could be heard. "There's something I've been wanting to tell you." Riku wet his lips and tried to draw a steady breath. Wasn't this the perfect time to tell him? Everything Sora was holding in had just come rushing out, so should he do the same? It was only fair. Something in the back of Riku's mind just wouldn't stop urging him to take this chance.

"I… Okay." Sora's idly rubbed a gloved hand over his flushed cheek until Riku's hand found his. Beneath his friend's trembling fingers, he wondered how Riku's shaky touch could make him feel so alive—so wonderful yet nearly collapsing with anticipation. The light from the porch lamp allowed him to see Riku clearly, watching his eyes carefully. Riku's eyes were bright, yet nervous. What did he have to be nervous about.

"Riku?" He called his friend's name softly and reached up to touch his face, wishing he'd taken his glove off so that he'd have been able to feel his skin. Riku couldn't handle it anymore.

Feeling the distance between them was too unbearably far, Riku's inhaled shakily and leaned forward.

Riku kissed him softly.

His heart hammered in his chest as his lips gently slid against the brunet's. After hearing the tiny gasp he shakily pushed Sora back, but kept his other hand on the brunet's cheek. He reluctantly made himself to look into the other's bewildered eyes. When Sora said nothing and continued to gape, Riku pushed back the guilt for the forced kiss because he needed to explain himself at this moment.

"I love you."

The older male buried his face in Sora's hair and held him close, almost impossibly so.

"I'm sorry for forcing that on you. I couldn't… I just love you so fucking much and it's making me crazy."

Sora was taken aback at his friend's shakily heartfelt words. His knees suddenly feeling weak—and also his heart and his face felt like they were on fire, but it didn't hurt—oh, no, it felt _amazing_. Beyond words. He was pretty sure that the reason for that being _Riku _hadkissed him.

"If… If you don't return my feelings it's all right. I know it's strange to have your best friend confess like this, but I don't want to lose you. And I just didn't think I should hide it from you any longer." Riku's grip on the younger male tightened and Sora's eyes watered again as their bodies were pressed together. "I just want you to know this; I've fallen in love with you. So much that it hurts when I'm not with you, and I know that I would probably die if—"

Sora placed his hands on Riku's face and brought the taller's panicked, wandering eyes back towards his own. At the sight of Sora's shocked expression, Riku opened his mouth but closed it, repeating the cycle before he closed his eyes.

"I'm sor—" Riku was silenced when the brunet leaned up, pressing their lips together again.

Now it was Riku's turn to stumble around for air. He blinked his widening eyes and felt the brunet apply the smallest amount of pressure against his lips. That small action alone ensured Riku that his life was complete. Good Lord—_Sora_ was all he needed, and far more than he could ever ask for. If he could just keep breathing, even for this moment, then everything would be perfect. He was sure that his heart would collapse, that's how quickly it was beating.

After a few moments of pressing short and sweet kisses to Riku's lips, Sora pulled back to catch his breath and steady his heart while his friend did the same.

"Riku," He leaned up to gently peck Riku on the lips once more. "Say it once more… Just so I know I'm not crazy. Please," Sora lowered his crimson-hued face a moment before Riku tilted his chin up and caused their eyes to meet.

"I love you, Sora." The brunet cursed silently and wondered how many times Riku could stop his heart with a simple smile and three simple—but powerful—words. "I'll say it as many times as it takes; as many times and as many ways as you want… I love you. I'm crazy about you. I've fallen for you."

Riku kissed Sora on his forehead and moved his hands up to take off the brunet's hat so he could run his fingers through his hair.

"Oh, God. I love you, too, Riku." Sora wrapped his arms around Riku's neck and shivered. "I was so afraid to tell you." Sora whispered into Riku's shoulder while the older gently hummed and continued to comb his fingers through his love's hair.

"It looks like we both had been worrying about losing each other. So worried that we missed the obvious signs." Riku almost wanted to laugh at the irony, cupping the brunet's cheek in his hand before he kissed him soundly. He wasn't shocked that he found kissing Sora so addicting.

"I'm sorry. This must be a little much, especially after what you just told me. I never intended on telling you this right after you let everything out. But, I just couldn't wait. I don't ever want to see you cry like that again." Riku's arms tightened around Sora's waist and he inhaled. He didn't regret taking action, but he did feel guilty that his timing could have been better.

"No, thank you. It's because I've been able to get all that off my chest that I don't feel as weighed down as I did before. I don't have a reason to cry over this anymore." Sora smiled and Riku once again thought the expression was utterly beautiful.

"Good. I'm glad, then." Sora shivered in his now boyfriend's arms and burrowed into Riku's shoulder when the wind tickled his neck. Now that he noticed, his coat had been unzipped a little bit…

"Are you cold? Let's get back before we actually do get hypothermia." Riku smiled, but dragged Sora back into his arms and picked him up by the waist. He kissed him again before laughing and gently setting him down.

"Sorry. I guess I just love you," Riku restated as he looked down at the brunet and smiled, once again feeling like the luckiest human being that ever existed. The simple fact that his brunet returned the feelings he harbored so deeply was enough for him. He hoped that it would always be this way—and if Sora wanted him to, he'd be there forever. Just a moment in the brunet's radiant light was all that he needed before, and the simple fact that he was allowed to convey his longing—with a touch, with a kiss, or even with a look—was enough of a reason for Riku to keep breathing.

The beating of their hearts still hadn't quite returned to normal even as they left the park. They knew it wasn't the affects of being in the cold and in fact, neither of them felt the slightest chill.

There wasn't anything that could wipe the content smiles off their faces, because their hearts had been swept away, never wanting to return from where they had taken each other. The precious moments they spent together would only continue to increase and hold a significant part of them.

Because a sentence, one single sentence rang true to both as they gazed at each other.

_No one is perfect until you fall in love with them._

Everything had worked out—not quite in the way they had planned, but much better than either could have imagined.

So once the cold had finally gotten to the slender brunet, Riku laughed and led him around to the front of the house.

Now that they had each other, they had all the time in the world.

Everything was perfect.

…

**End - Chapter 10**

…

* * *

I almost died from all the sap and angst and shit in this long-ass chapter. Blaargharghargh. It's also really late, so my apologies! OTL

BLAH BLAH BLAH AUTHOR'S LAST COMMENTS N' SHIT.

Also: opening lyrics are from Unknown Soldier, by **Breaking Benjamin** ;3; Other random snippets of songs (Which I love to bitty pieces, but clearly do not own) are Open Your Eyes by **Snow Patrol**, Broken by **Seether**, Touchin' on My by **3Oh!3**, If You Only Knew by **Shinedown**, Retrace by **Anberlin**, and Iris by **The Goo Goo Dolls**. (lol)

Funny story about the 3Oh!3 song, because I don't normally like music like that…my friend showed me this Merlin video with that song and I lost it. I'll give anyone the link who is curious, but it's Arthur/Merlin from the BBC show sexiness, so… I think it's funny XD It's a catchy song…

TO-TO-TO-TOUCHIN' ON MY —, WHILE I'M TOUCHIN' ON YOUR—sorry.

ANYWAY, PEACE OFF(SPONSOR)! Oh btdubs, **I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS**. Riku, Sora, Kairi, Selphie, etc are © Square Enix & Tetsuya Nomura.

I'm going to watch some Sherlock now…


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